Wimbledon 2025: Osaka opens before Alcaraz in action and Sabalenka v Raducanu
Date: 2025-07-04T09:28:34.000Z
Title: Preamble
Content: Hello and welcome to our coverage of Wimbledon, where there's a mixture of shock and awe early on day five: shock after Jack Draper's chastening exit last night and awe at how Marin Cilic – at the age of 36, with only one good knee and without a win at Wimbledon since 2021 – so comprehensively took out the leader of Britain's pack.
Draper's exit means that of the 23 British players who started in the singles, we're left with only three as the third round begins. Emma Raducanu will have to play the match of her life later on Centre Court to oust the world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the only survivor among the women's top five seeds, but the way in which Raducanu relished the challenge against the 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova in the previous round was encouraging. Sonay Kartal and Cameron Norrie are both on No 1 Court: Kartal, Raducanu's childhood rival, has a (dare I say it) very winnable match against the French qualifier Diane Parry, while Norrie, finally playing with a smile on his face again after problems with injury and illness, starts as the favourite against Italy's Mattia Bellucci.
Also in action: Carlos Alcaraz, Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, Andrey Rublev and Joao Fonseca, along with Jasmine Paolini Kamilla Rakhimova and Alexander Zverev Arthur Rinderknech, while marathon man Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova are the American force in action on the fourth of July.
Play begins at: 11am UK time on the outside courts, 1pm on No 1 Court and 1.30pm on Centre Court. Don't be late!
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