WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams will start her twenty fourth look on the event in opposition to 2019 semifinalist Elina Svitolina, whereas Friday’s draw put two-time titlist Andy Murray up in opposition to wild-card entry Ryan Peniston in an all-British first-round matchup.

Williams, who's 43 and has performed simply 5 matches this season, and Svitolina, who returned to the tour in April after taking break day to have a child, each got wild playing cards by the All England Club.

Whoever wins that contest might face No. 28 seed Elise Mertens within the second spherical, adopted maybe by a matchup in opposition to No. 7 Coco Gauff, the American who was simply 15 when she started her Grand Slam profession by eliminating Williams at Wimbledon in 2019.

Williams gained Wimbledon in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008, to associate with two U.S. Open trophies.

Audible gasps crammed the All England Club’s fundamental interview room the place the draw was being performed when Murray — who has twice undergone hip surgical procedure since successful Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016 — was drawn to face a fellow British participant, and once more moments later when the winner of that match was slated to tackle both No. 5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, twice a serious finalist, or 2020 U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem.

Murray’s preliminary title at Wimbledon made him the primary British man in 77 years to earn the singles title there.

Play on the 12 months’s third Grand Slam event begins Monday, when No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic will open his bid for a fifth consecutive championship - and eighth total - on the All England Club in opposition to Pedro Cachin, a 67th-ranked Argentine making his Wimbledon debut.

The potential males’s quarterfinals are No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz vs. No. 6 Holger Rune, and No. 3 Daniil Medvedev vs. Tsitsipas on the highest half of the bracket, and Djokovic vs. No. 7 Andrey Rublev, and No. 4 Casper Ruud vs. No. 8 Jannik Sinner on the underside half.

Possible girls’s quarterfinals are No. 1 Iga Swiatek vs. Gauff, and No. 4 Jessica Pegula vs. No. 5 Caroline Garcia on the highest half, and No. 3 Elena Rybakina vs. No. 6 Ons Jabeur, and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 8 Maria Sakkari on the underside half.

Rybakina-Jabeur can be a rematch of final 12 months’s ultimate, gained by Rybakina.

Copyright © 2023 The Washington Times, LLC.

Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com