Gauff returns as Konta plays Kvitova – 'Manic Monday' preview

  • Posted: Jul 07, 2019
Wimbledon 2019 on the BBC
Venue: All England Club Dates: 1-14 July
Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. Full details

Coco Gauff will face the toughest challenge of her Wimbledon campaign when she takes on Simona Halep on ‘Manic Monday’, with British number one Johanna Konta also in action.

After a day off on Sunday, play will resume as Konta plays Petra Kvitova.

Elsewhere in the women’s singles, world number one Ashleigh Barty – who is yet to drop a set – plays Alison Riske.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic and former winners Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal also return in the fourth round.

Djokovic will take on Frenchman Ugo Humbert on Court One, while on Centre Court, eight-time champion Federer faces Italian Matteo Berrettini and Nadal plays Portugal’s Joao Sousa.

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams plays Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro and Karolina Pliskova faces fellow Czech Karolina Muchova.

  • Nadal & Federer into Wimbledon fourth round
  • Williams & Kvitova ease into round four
  • Murray & Williams win on mixed doubles debut
  • ‘I hope Beyonce saw that!’ – Gauff’s wish after winning run continues

‘It’s cool that Michelle Obama knows I exist’

Week one of the Championships was a whirlwind for 15-year-old American qualifier Gauff, beating one of her “idols” Venus Williams before victories over Magdalena Rybarikova and Polona Hercog followed.

Twelve months ago, she was knocked out in the quarter-finals of the juniors competition at SW19 but has now become a household name around the globe, the world mesmerised by her journey.

Yet for this teenager, who can only enter 10 professional tournaments between her 15th and 16th birthdays, it’s the social media messages from Michelle Obama and Jaden Smith that have given her the biggest smile.

On the tweet by Obama, Gauff – who describes herself as “weird” and “goofy” – said: “I was super excited. She’s one of my role models, so it was just cool to see that she knows I exist.

“We don’t talk personally. I don’t have her number or anything. I would like that.”

In former world number one Halep, Gauff faces a player who, like herself, has dropped just one set in the tournament so far. Halep, though, has experience of the latter stages at Wimbledon, reaching the semi-finals in 2014 and two quarter-finals since then.

  • Live scores, schedule and results

‘Kvitova will be very inspired’ – Konta ready for battle

British number one Konta, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2017, faces Czech two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova in the fourth round. It is their fifth meeting, but only their second at a Grand Slam.

They have twice met on grass, the latter occasion coming in Birmingham last year, with Kvitova winning in straight sets.

Kvitova, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, has yet to drop a set this campaign and Konta said she was looking forward to playing a “great champion”.

“I’m going to be coming up against a very, very inspired and very, very tough Petra,” said Konta.

“She’s also been playing incredibly well in the past couple of years.”

Kvitova acknowledged the British support for Konta, adding it would be a “difficult match”.

“Jo, I think for her, the grass is really going in the good way when she’s playing flat shots from both sides, especially from the backhand,” she said.

“I think she likes to play on the grass. Of course, the crowd will be on her side. I know what she’s able to do.”

  • Alerts: Get tennis news sent to your phone

Source link