It’s another comfortable hold to 15 for Tan. Boulter is still struggling with her tactics, unsure whether the best approach is to trade shots from the back of the court or come to the net and use her volleying prowess to good effect. Tan 4-1 Boulter.
Tan is threatening to race away with this first set. She’s got great variety in her game and is sending Boulter racing back and forth around the court. She holds her own serve comfortably to take a 3-0 lead and then pushes Boulter to the limit in the fourth game, with the Brit having to battle with everything she has to hold. Tan 3-1 Boulter.
I will also be keeping my eye on 12th seed Barbora Krejcikova v Ajla Tomljanovic out on Court 12. It’s 2-1 to the Czech 2021 French Open champion and on serve.
Boulter is down an early break after a nervy opening service game, in which she double-faults and has a little misfortune when Tan enjoys two net cords. Then Boulter misjudges a Tan lob, leaving it only to watch it land in the court with room to spare behind her. It’s 2-0 to Tan.
We’re under way on Court 2. Tan serves first in an entertaining game which features a delicate Boulter lob and a “tweener” from her French opponent who holds to 15 to take a 1-0 lead in the first set.
Katie Boulter has made her way out on to Court 2 to warm up for her third-round match against Harmony Tan. It’s a lovely day for tennis, a very pleasant 20c at SW19 with a few fluffy clouds scattered around that shouldn’t threaten rain.
So what has caused the resurgence in British tennis at SW19? Simon Cambers reports that the team spirit forged in lockdown, plus Andy Murray’s advice and Emma Raducanu’s achievements, has given everyone a lift.
Order of play for Saturday
(All times BST, seeds in brackets)
Centre Court
13:30: (11) Cori Gauff (USA) v (20) Amanda Anisimova (USA), (4) Paula Badosa Gibert (Spa) v (25) Petra Kvitova (Cze), (27) Lorenzo Sonego (Ita) v (2) Rafael Nadal (Spa)
Court 1
13:00: (19) Alex De Minaur (Aus) v Liam Broady (Gbr), (1) Iga Swiatek (Pol) v Alize Cornet (Fra), Nick Kyrgios (Aus) v (4) Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre)
Court 2
11:00: Harmony Tan (Fra) v Katie Boulter (Gbr), Richard Gasquet (Fra) v (21) Botic Van de Zandschulp (Ned), Magdalena Frech (Pol) v (16) Simona Halep (Rom)
Court 3
11:00: Christian Garin (Chi) v (29) Jenson Brooksby (USA), Alex Molcan (Svk) v (11) Taylor Harry Fritz (USA), Petra Martic (Cro) v (8) Jessica Pegula (USA)
Court 4
11:00: (4) Gonzalo Bueno (Per) v Juan Manuel La Serna (Arg), Jeremy Jin (Aus) v (3) Mili Poljicak (Cro), Kristyna Tomajkova (Cze) v (10) Annabelle Xu (Can), (8) Edas Butvilas (Lit) v Mika Brunold (Swi), Alessio Basile (Bel) v (11) Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez (Mex)
Court 5
11:00: Mia Kupres (Can) v Angella Okutoyi (Ken), Linda Klimovicova (Cze) v Michaela Laki (Gre), Paul Barbier Gazeu (Fra) v Connor Henry Van Schalkwyk (Nam), Julie Struplova (Cze) v Ella McDonald (Gbr), Aysegul Mert (Tur) v (3) Nikola Bartunkova (Cze)
Court 6
11:00: Patrick Brady (Gbr) v (15) Martyn Pawelski (Pol), Phoenix Weir (Gbr) v Alexander Blockx (Bel), Sarah Tatu (Gbr) v Celine Naef (Swi), Juan Carlos Prado Angelo (Bol) v William Jansen (Gbr), Talia Neilson Gatenby (Gbr) v Nina Vargova (Svk)
Court 7
11:00: Kalin Ivanovski (Mkd) v Luca Pow (Gbr), Henry Searle (Gbr) v (2) Jakub Mensik (Cze), Renata Jamrichova (Svk) v Jasmine Conway (Gbr), Joelle Steur (Ger) v Isabelle Lacy (Gbr), Benjamin Gusic Wan (Gbr) v Peter Privara (Svk)
Court 9
11:00 Amelia Waligora (Bel) v Anastasiya Lopata (Ukr)
Court 10
11:00: Irina Balus (Svk) v Andrea Obradovic (Ser), Peter Nad (Svk) v Jaden Weekes (Can), Ella Seidel (Ger) v Lucciana Perez Alarcon (Per), (4) Nikola Daubnerova (Svk) v Dominika Salkova (Cze)
Court 11
11:00 Sara Saito (Jpn) v Olivia Lincer (USA), (14) Lucija Ciric Bagaric (Cro) v Rose Marie Nijkamp (Ned)
Court 12
11:00: Ajla Tomljanovic (Aus) v (13) Barbora Krejcikova (Cze), Brandon Nakashima (USA) v Daniel Elahi Galan (Col)
Court 14
11:00 Hynek Barton (Cze) v Arthur Gea (Fra)
Court 15
11:00 Olaf Pieczkowski (Pol) v Ozan Colak (USA)
Court 16
11:00 Pedro Rodenas (Spa) v Matej Dodig (Cro)
Court 17
11:00 Dylan Dietrich (Swi) v (5) Nishesh Basavareddy (USA), Giorgia Pedone (Ned) v Amelie Van Impe (Bel)
Court 18
11:00: Jack Sock (USA) v Jason Kubler (Aus), Qinwen Zheng (Chn) v (17) Elena Rybakina (Kaz)
Preamble
Good morning. It’s already day six at Wimbledon – where did the week go? The show courts don’t get going until a bit later on, with Coco Gauff v Amanda Amisova on Centre Court at 1.30pm and Alex De Minar v Liam Broady on Court No 1 at 1pm.
It’s been a great week for British tennis, with Heather Watson and Cameron Norrie breaking new ground by reaching the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time in their careers and Broady and Katie Boulter have hopes of doing the same today. Boulter is not on a show court so I’ll be paying particular attention to her match against Frances’s Harmony Tan on Court 2 at 11am. It promises to be extremely tight, with Tan ranked 115 in the world and Boulter 118. Like her British opponent, Tan is looking to make the last 16 in a slam for the first time, too.
I’m looking forward to 4th seed Paula Badosa v 25th seed Petra Kvitova on Centre Court later, too. Kvitova has won Wimbledon twice and despite slipping down the rankings in the last couple of years, I feel she can go deep in 2022. And expect fireworks – and lots of entertaining chat – when Nick Kyrgios takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas on Court 1 later. Kyrgios just wants to be loved, you know.
