Wimbledon 2022: Bautista Agut out with Covid, Kvitova in action on day four – live! | By The Perfect Enemy
The first match on Court 2 today is done and dusted, the No 4 seed breaking twice in the second set to close it out. A stumble for Petra Kvitova though, serving for the match at 5-2. She’s taken to deuce and then broken by Ana Bogdan. Her lead is now 6-1, 5-3.
Oh Alastair! Gray, serving for the set, overhits a forehand and then a backhand to give Fritz two break points and hands his opponent the break back with a double-fault. We’re back on serve now at 5-4 in the second set.
Gray, serving at 4-2 in the second set, puts himself under pressure by starting his service game with two unforced errors but comes back well with a fierce serve and a neat angled backhand volley, which sets him up for a good hold – he’s 5-2 up in the second set and a set down.
On No 3 court, Kvitova is 4-1 up and two games from victory against Bogdan, and on No 2, Badosa is a break and a set up, leading the second set against Bara 3-2
Doubles news: Britain’s Joe Salisbury and America’s Rajeev Ram, the top seeds, are a set up against Germany’s Daniel Altmaier and Carlos Taberner of Spain. They took the opener 6-3 and the No 1 seeds are currently 3-4 in an on-serve second set.
More on the overall state of doubles here:
Gray breaks Fritz’s serve. Brilliant from Gray, stretching for a forehand volley at the net and putting it away to earn two break points and he pushes Fritz round the back of the court to force the error that gives him a 3-1 lead in the second set.
The Wimbledon debutant Gray looks to be growing into this a bit, holding serve confidently for 2-1 in the second set. Over on Court 17 Richard Gasquet is a set up against Mackenzie McDonald of the US, taking the opener 6-3.
Fritz’s forehand is calling the shots here, and a lovely winner from the back of the court kickstarts the second set. Gray’s got some magic in his locker though and executes a stunning deft drop shot while slipping on the grass, which helps him to a morale-boosting hold from 0-30 down.
On Court 2, Badosa has won the first set 6-3 against Bara and Kvitova isn’t hanging about against Bogdan – she’s a break and 2-1 up in the second set, having romped through the first set.
Fritz wins first set against Gray 6-3. Alastair Gray made Taylor Fritz work hard to serve for that first set but didn’t take his opportunities and a backhand into the net seals the it for the American on Court No 12. Gray had six break points in that set but didn’t convert any of them.
This is becoming a real problem. The Spanish No 17 seed, who had been due to face Daniel Elahi Galan later today, is the latest to withdraw. Here’s PA Media’s story:
.css-1kirxkkheight:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#0077B6;Roberto Bautista Agut has become the third player to announce he has withdrawn from Wimbledon after testing positive for Covid-19.
The Spaniard, seeded 17, had been due to take on Daniel Elahi Galan in the second round on Court Three on Thursday. The Colombian will receive a walkover.
Bautista Agut wrote on Twitter: “I have tested positive for Covid-19. Fortunately, the symptoms are not very serious, but I think it is the best decision. Thanks for your support. I hope to come back soon.”
Bautista Agut follows two former finalists, Matteo Berrettini and Marin Cilic, who both pulled out ahead of the first round.
While not known as a grass-courter, Bautista Agut achieved his best result at a grand slam by reaching the semi-finals here in 2019, while he defeated world number one Daniil Medvedev on his way to the final of the ATP Tour event in Majorca last week.
Players are not required to test themselves at Wimbledon this year, or even to withdraw if they test positive, but have been asked to be respectful to their fellow players and those they come into contact with.
Britain’s Alastair Gray is battling to stay in the first set against Taylor Fritz, a break down, but digs himself out of a hole in his most recent game, which he seals with a confident ace to close the deficit to 3-5.
On Court No 2 a flurry of breaks as the women’s fourth seed Padosa grabbed an early break against Romania’s Irina Bara, Bara broke back swiftly but then lost her subsequent service game and Badosa now leads 5-2. Kvitova meanwhile has won the first set against Bogdan 6-1, though she had to work hard for it in her last service game, saving a couple of break points.
An early break for Petra Kvitova, the two-times Wimbledon champion, against Ana Bogdan. She’s raced into a 3-0 lead in the first set. Having won at Eastbourne last weekend and thrived here in the past, the Czech, seeded 25, looks one to watch once again.
An early setback for Britain’s Alastair Gray though. The No 11 seed Taylor Fritz has broken him and leads 2-0.
Pre-action reading, and we got plenty.
Here’s Barney Ronay on Emma Raducanu making friends in defeat:
For all the attention on Murray and Raducanu, Simon Cambers reports on Britain’s best start to Wimbledon since 1984:
And here’s Paul MacInnes’s Wimbledon diary, including a forgetful Ugo Humbert and the export of the Henman Hill experience to Brooklyn:
Here’s the order of play on courts 2 and 3. The full list is here.
Court No 2
Paula Badosa (4) v Irina Bara
Filip Krajinovic (26) v Nick Kyrgios
Harriet Dart v Jessica Pegula (8)
(Not before 5pm BST) Kirsten Flipkens v Simona Halep (16)
Court No 3
Ana Bogdan v Petra Kvitova (25)
Liam Broady v Diego Schwartzman (12)
Daniel Galan v Roberto Bautista Agut (17)
Morning everyone, and welcome to day four at the All England Club. With a couple of the sport’s greatest late-night drama kings and queens now eliminated, what awaits us today? Plenty, obviously, with British interest on Centre Court first up as Katie Boulter takes on the sixth seed, Karolina Pliskova. Boulter has never gone beyond the second round while the Czech was of course last year’s runner-up, so a formidable challenge confronts the British world No 118. After that Rafa Nadal faces the unseeded Lithuanian Ričardas Berankis and Coca Gauff, the No 11 seed in the women’s draw, is up against Mihaela Buzărnescu of Romania.
On No 1 court Stefanos Tsitsipas, the men’s No 4 seed, faces Australia’s Jordan Thompson before the relentless Iga Swiatek looks to continue her stunning winning streak when she plays the unseeded Dutchwoman Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove. Britain’s rising star Jack Draper then rounds off proceedings when he plays the No 19 seed Alex de Minaur of Australia.
There’s plenty of action on the outside courts before the show courts get going at 1.30pm though, with Paula Badosa, Petra Kvitova and Britain’s Alastair Gray among those in action. We’ll keep you updated on those and more.
Let’s play.
Published on The Perfect Enemy at https://bit.ly/3yvWSn7.
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