Alex de Minaur, Jason Kubler and Chris O’Connell lead the Aussie charge on day five at Wimbledon 2023.
London, Great Britain, 7 July 2023 | Leigh Rogers
Alex de Minaur is preparing for a ‘battle’ against Wimbledon 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini.
“He’s obviously a very dangerous player who has played some great tennis here,” De Minaur said ahead of their second-round clash at the All England Club today.
“He’s got a massive serve, massive forehand, great slice. So (a) very tricky, tricky opponent. One of those unseeded guys who you probably didn’t want in your section.”
The 27-year-old Italian achieved a career-high ranking of No.6 last season, but after some injury struggles, has slipped to world No.38.
World No.17 De Minaur has won two of their previous three meetings, however Berrettini did triumph in their only grass-court match.
“I’m looking forward to the battle. It should be fun,” De Minaur said.
Chris O’Connell is enjoying a career-best run at Wimbledon. The world No.73 now faces Czech Jiri Vesely, who has twice made the round of 16 at the All England Club.
“He’s unbelievable on the grass, especially here,” O’Connell noted. “He’s had some great consistent results over the years, so it’s going to be a really tough match.”
This is their first career meeting, however they did practise together recently.
“I did have a practice set with him a few weeks back, so I know what he brings to the grass court,” O’Connell said.
Jason Kubler carries impressive momentum into his second-round showdown with No.25 seed Nicolas Jarry.
The 30-year-old Australian has won 17 of his past 22 grass-court matches. Jarry, on the other hand, has recorded only three grass-court wins in the past four years.
“It would be a bit weird if an Australian didn’t go at least into the second week of Wimbledon, so hopefully we can keep playing great,” world No.77 Kubler said.
A strong contingent of Australians also feature in doubles action on day five, including De Minaur and Kubler who are scheduled to compete after their singles matches.
Wimbledon is broadcast in Australia on the Nine Network and Stan Sport, with coverage starting from 7.30pm AEST.
Aussies in action on day five:
Gentlemen’s singles, second round
Chris O’Connell (AUS) v Jiri Vesley (CZE), Court 14, first match (from 8pm AEST)
Jason Kubler (AUS) v [25] Nicolas Jarry (CHI), Court 8, second match
[15] Alex de Minaur (AUS) v…
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