WIMBLEDON, England — Thanks to rain, there are still plenty of first-round matches to complete — and some that even have yet to begin — as Wimbledon heads to Day 3.
Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, is among 10 players who originally were on Monday’s schedule but have not played a point so far at the year’s third Grand Slam tournament and now are scheduled to get started on Wednesday.
More bad news for them and tournament organizers dealing with the backlog of matches: There is a chance of more showers.
Only eight of 77 scheduled matches were completed on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, when the rain arrived early in the day and never left, while 15 others were halted in progress.
The All England Club has two courts that have retractable roofs that allow for competition during wet weather. Andy Murray, Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina were some of the lucky few who were able to finish contests Tuesday.
When are Wednesday’s matches?
Play begins on most courts at 11 a.m. local time, which is 6 a.m. EDT. That’s when Stephens is supposed to start against Rebecca Peterson at Court 14, and No. 10 seed Frances Tiafoe takes on Wu Yibing at No. 3 Court. Action at No. 1 Court begins at 1 p.m. local time, which is 8 a.m. EDT, and the first match there is No. 3 Daniil Medvedev vs. British wild-card entry Arthur Fery. Centre Court is the last arena to get going, at 1:30 p.m. local time, 8:30 a.m. EDT. That is when No. 11 Daria Kasatkina plays British wild-card entry Jodie Burrage in the second round, followed by No. 1 Iga Swiatek against Sara Sorribes Tormo, which could begin around 3:30 p.m. local time, 10:30 a.m. EDT. The third match in the main stadium is 23-time major champion Novak Djokovic vs. Jordan Thompson; that might begin around 5:30 p.m. local time, 12:30 p.m. EDT.
What were Tuesday’s results?
Two-time Wimbledon champion Murray and No. 1 Alcaraz both won in straight sets in about two hours. No. 12 Cam Norrie needed four sets for his victory, while another British man who was seeded, No. 27 Dan Evans, lost. Three of the leading women in the field all won — defending champion Elena Rybakina, 2022 runner-up Ons Jabeur and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka — as did the No. 29 men’s seed, Tomás Martin Etcheverry, who finished off a comeback from a two-set deficit in a match that opened at Court 11 on Monday and closed at No. 1 Court on Tuesday.
What else happened on Day 2?
Roger Federer and Kate, Princess of Wales, were in the Royal Box. Federer, who announced his retirement last year, was honored for his eight Wimbledon singles championships, a record for men. / AP