Alcaraz seeks to stay perfect at soggy Wimbledon

Carlos Alcaraz will seek to extend his unblemished start to Wimbledon on Saturday as defending women’s champion Elena Rybakina faces Britain’s last hope Katie Boulter.

The rain returned to the All England Club, meaning Alcaraz’s match against Chile’s Nicolas Jarry started under the roof on Centre Court.

Top seed Alcaraz is seen as the biggest threat to Novak Djokovic, who is gunning for a record-equalling eighth men’s title and 24th Grand Slam crown overall.

The Spaniard, who won the grass-court Queen’s tournament last month, has yet to drop a set at Wimbledon, easing past Jeremy Chardy and Alexandre Muller in the opening two rounds.

The 20-year-old is attempting to become the third-youngest player in the Open Era to win the title after Boris Becker and Bjorn Borg.

But his schedule has been disrupted by the rain — forcing him to play on consecutive days.

The reigning US Open champion appears comfortable with the intense pressure on his shoulders but warns he is up against more experienced grass-court players.

“It would be amazing for me play a final here in Wimbledon,” he said. “Even better if is against Novak obviously. 

“But there’s a lot of great players playing here on grass, who feel really, really comfortable on grass.”

Djokovic eased into the last 16 late on Friday, beating Stan Wawrinka in straight sets.

Men’s third seed Daniil Medvedev is also in early action on Saturday, taking on unseeded Hungarian Marton Fucsovics on Court No. 1.

The former US Open champion, who missed last year’s Wimbledon due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players, also did not lost a set in his opening two matches.

Last year’s surprise women’s champion, Rybakina, who has not hit top form so far, takes on Boulter, who will receive vociferous backing from the home crowd.

‘Nothing to lose’

“I think it’s a super great opportunity for me,” said Boulter, the only British player left in the tournament.

“I’ve got nothing to lose. She’s clearly the defending champion for a reason. 

“I’m going to have a swing and go for it. I’ve got a lot of tennis behind me. It’s time for me to test my skills against an incredible champion.”

Also in the women’s draw, last year’s beaten finalist Ons Jabeur is in action, taking on Canada’s Bianca Andreescu.

Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed at Wimbledon, is up against Russia’s unseeded Anna Blinkova.

On the men’s side, former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini goes head to head with big-serving 19th seed Alexander Zverev in a mouthwatering contest.

Berrettini, who lost to Djokovic in the 2021 final, missed the tournament last year after testing positive for coronavirus.

“Not being able to play was something that, even when I was better physically, was really tough mentally to overcome,” said the 27-year-old.

Zverev has been ranked as high as number two in the world and is also a Grand Slam finalist, but missed a huge chunk of last season after tearing ankle ligaments.

Frances Tiafoe is flying the flag for America against Grigor Dimitrov, who is hoping to roll back the years.

Tenth seed Tiafoe is banking on winning the fans over against the experienced Bulgarian, who reached the semi-finals way back in 2014.

“As soon as I smile, the crowd erupts,” he said. “It’s crazy, but it’s cool. I mean, I guess it’s a blessing, and hopefully they like me for the next 10-plus years while I keep playing.”