British tennis stars Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu face tough routes to the final at Wimbledon following confirmation of the first round draw.
Draper and Raducanu Learn Wimbledon Fate as First Round Draw Revealed
British No. 1 Jack Draper has been handed an incredibly tough draw at Wimbledon.
The 23-year-old is rated as the fourth favourite to win the title in SW19. However, he will likely have to face all three players rated ahead of him to win the Grand Slam.
He will face Argentina’s Sebastian Baez in the first round, with a potential clash against 2014 US Open winner Marin Cilic awaiting in the second round.
If victorious there, Draper could face Alexander Bublik, who knocked the Brit out of the French Open last month and recently won the Halle Open, in the following round.
Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are probable opponents in the latter rounds.
Two-time consecutive winner Alcaraz has been drawn against Italy’s Fabio Fognini in the opening round, while world No. 1 Sinner will take on his compatriot Luca Nardi.
Record Grand Slam winner Djokovic, meanwhile, faces Frenchman Alexandre Muller.
British wildcard Dan Evans, who believes Draper ‘has the ability to win Wimbledon’, battles fellow Brit Jay Clarke in the first round, and Cameron Norrie will play Roberto Bautista Agut.
Emma Raducanu, meanwhile, also faces a tough route to the women’s singles final.
She faces 17-year-old Mimi Xu in her opening match. Potential ties against McCartney Kessler and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka may follow in the second and third rounds.
If she reaches the latter stages, she is projected to face Elina Svitolina, Madison Keys, Jasmine Paolini and recent French Open champion Coco Gauff.
Katie Boulter, who Raducanu recently overtook in the rankings to reclaim the British No. 1 title, has been handed a tough first round draw against ninth seed Paula Badosa.
Other notable first round fixtures in the women’s singles event include Sabalenka vs Carson Branstine, Gauff vs Dayan Yastremska and Barbora Krejcikova vs Alexandra Eala.
Jack Draper Route to Wimbledon Final
Based on seeding, Draper’s route to the final could be as follows:
- First Round: Sebastian Baez
- Second Round: Marin Cilic
- Third Round: Alexander Bublik
- Fourth Round: Jakub Mensi
- Quarter-finals: Novak Djokovic
- Semi-finals: Jannik Sinner
- Final: Carlos Alcaraz
Emma Raducanu Route To Wimbledon Final
Also basing Raducanu’s potential route to the final on seeding, it could look as follows:
- First Round: Mingge Xu
- Second Round: McCartney Kessler
- Third Round: Aryna Sabalenka
- Fourth Round: Elina Svitolina
- Quarter-finals: Madison Keys
- Semi-finals: Jasmine Paolini
- Final: Coco Gauff
When Does Wimbledon Start?
Wimbledon gets underway on Monday, 30 June, and runs until Sunday, 13 July.
Action at the All England Club begins with the men’s and women’s first round matches on Monday, 30 June, and Tuesday, 1 July.
The women’s final is scheduled for Saturday, 12 July, while the men’s final is on Sunday, 13 July.
You can watch the Championships live on free-to-air TV in the United Kingdom, so long as you have a TV licence. BBC will be providing full and uninterrupted coverage of the event.
