Wimbledon 2024: Draper beats Ymer in five, Norrie through; Murray pulls out of singles – as it happened

Harriet Dart beats Zhuoxuan Bai 6-4, 6-0

Things not looking so good now for Britain’s man with a van, Billy Harris, who’s been broken since the resumption and then seen his opponent, Jaume Munar, zip through his service game to love to lead 5-3 in the second set. He’s a game away from taking a two sets to love lead.

Back on Court No 1 Elena Gabriela Ruse maintains the upper hand against Elena Rybakina, a break up at 3-2 in the first set.

They’ve resumed on Court 18, with Harriet Dart almost home and hosed. She now leads Zhuoxuan Bai 6-4, 5-0. The Chinese player is now serving to stay in the match. Not long for this one now surely.

They’re still not yet back under way on the outside courts, but the covers are off and players are warming up. Meanwhile, Rybakina is off the mark on Court No 1, zipping through her service game to pull her deficit back to 1-2, first set.

Ruse is nervy too, though, serving up two double faults before a dismissive forehand volley at the net brings Rybakina a break point. Ruse saves it with a fine low double-handed backhand from the baseline after a long rally, but a fierce forehand winner gives the 2022 champion another break point. This too is saved courtesy of an overhit return, and Ruse goes on to hold. 2-0

A wobbly old start for Rybakina, a double-fault on 0-30 handing Ruse three break points. The first is served, but not the second, as Rybakina overhits a deep forehand. Ruse breaks straightaway to lead 1-0

Good news. Covers are coming off on the outside courts. And we’ll be under way on Court No 1 very soon anyway with the 2022 champ, Elena Rybakina, facing Elena Gabriella Ruse of Romania.

As the Beeb shows footage of Andy Murray grimacing; it’ll be a hard slog for him in the doubles too.

It’s still drizzling, so no play at present, though action will shortly start on the roofed Centre and No 1 Courts. First up on Centre is the defending champion, Marketa Vondrousova against the 83rd-ranked Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain. Vondrousova won last year as an unseeded player but is seeded six this year, having reached quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows and Roland Garros since last summer’s triumph. It’s a ferociously competitive field this year, albeit with Iga Swiatek the firm favourite. Here’s our preview:

Oh, and now it’s started raining, so covers are coming on across the venue.

Hubert Hurkacz has had a jolt, the Polish No 7 seed being broken at the last to lose the first set 7-5 to Radu Albot, ranked 144 in the world, while in the all-Australian tussle on Court 12, Alex de Minaur has won the first-set tiebreak against James Duckworth.

Paul Jubb continues to impress against Thiago Sorboth Wild, leading 6-1, 5-3, and Harriet Dart’s a break up in the second set so I might look in on that again.

Pegula beats Krueger 6-2, 6-0

Harriet Dart wins the first set against Zhuoxuan Bai 6-4. A tense, tight first set is finally broken open as Dart races to three break and set points, and a probing deep return seals the set from Dart as Bai can only skew it wide and out with a fautly low backhand. On Court No 2, Pegula breaks once again for 4-0 in the second set. She’ll be off for an agreeable early lunch soon.

Munar wins first set against Harris 6-4. The Spaniard romps to 40-0 and three set points before squandering one of them with a double-fault but isn’t to be denied. An easy hold. But better Brit news from Paul Jubb, who’s now 6-1, 3-0 up against Sorboth Wild.

Pegula, meanwhile, has an early break in the second set against Krueger and leads 6-2, 3-0.

Harris has a good confident serve on him though, and takes it back to 4-5 with a minimum of fuss, though Munar is now serving for the set. On Court Three Hurkacz is being made to work hard by Albot at 5-5.

Billy Harris’s serve has been broken by Munar, before some good deep returning brings him a break point but Munar snuffs out the danger with some booming serves. The Spaniard leads 5-3, first set.

On Court Four the Argentinian No 30 seed, Tomas Martin Etcheverry, has skipped merrily through his first set against Luca Nardi of Italy, 6-1.

The British wild card Paul Jubb has never reached the second round of a slam, but he must fancy his chances now after ripping through the first set 6-1 against Thiago Seyboth Wild in 22 minutes. In the women’s draw Pegula’s won the first set 6-2 against Krueger.

The umpire on Court 18 has just reprimanded spectators for opening a bottle of bubbly mid-game, propelling a cork onto the court. “Can you wait until the changeover,” he admonishes. I guess the last thing we want is that tedious Nursery End at Lord’s ritual of ostentatious outfield cork-popping. Anyway, Dart gave Bai a run for her money on that service game but the Chinese player held it after two deuces. 3-3.

Looking in on Court 18 now to see Harriet Dart survive an initial wobble in her service game before clinching it to 30 with some decent serve-volleying. Dart leads Zhuoxuan Bai 3-2, and it’s gone with serve. Fellow Brit Billy Harris is also 3-2 up in a match that’s gone with serve thus far, but compatriot Jan Choinski is a break down, 1-3 against Luciano Darderi of Italy, the world No 37.

Jessica Pegula isn’t hanging about. The American, a quarter-finalist here last year, has broken Ashlyn Krueger twice already to lead 4-0 in the first set. While Paul Jubb of Britain has also romped into a 3-0 lead over Thiago Sorboth Wild. Hubert Hurkacz is 2-2 against Radu Albot

As a result of Murray’s withdrawal, Jack Draper gets the teatime Centre Court slot now. His first-round match against Elias Ymer of Sweden has been shifted to the main stage from No 2 Court.

Quite a few other Brits in action early on meanwhile, including York’s Paul Jubb, who has an early break against Thiago Sorboth Wild of Brazil. Harriett Dart has just got under way against Zhuoxuan Bai of China too. And the aforementioned Billy Harris has held serve in the first game against Jaume Munar

OK, so the players are out knocking up on the outside courts. Time to start flitting around from match to match.

This morning’s news gives us an excuse to bask in clips such as this:

Though there’s also much to remember in late-period Murray of the past few years too; those late-night early round dramas, from a time when his chances of winning a slam again had long gone but just felt like the most important matches of all times when you were watching them. Have these islands produced a more watchable and likeable elite sportsperson in modern times?

Here’s Tumaini’s report on that Murray news:

Andy Murray has played in the doubles at Wimbledon on only two previous occasions, with David Sherwood way back in 2005 when they fell in the first round, and in 2019 with Pierre Hugues Herbert, losing in the second round. Though he did win a silver medal in SW19 with Laura Robson in the mixed doubles at the London 2012 Olympics.

He and Jamie will start their campaign this year on Thursday.

It’s a measure of the man, and his tenacity and love for the sport, that Andy Murray is still up for the doubles with brother Jamie. Just as we always admired those old footballers that eked out the final years of their career in the lower divisions, and cricketers such as Marcus Trescothick he played on for their counties long after their international careers were over, there’s much to commend in that. Kevin Mitchell wrote about this eloquently at the weekend.

Murray out of singles but plans to compete in doubles

Andy Murray ruled out of Wimbledon singles

One match worth looking out for this morning involves the British No 5, Billy Harris, making his grand slam debut at last at the age of 29, having begun his career kipping in his van as he schlepped around Europe. He faces Jaume Munar of Spain first up on Court 15.

More on Harris here:

While we await Murray news and tennis live action, here’s some reports from yesterday, including wins for Emma Raducanu, Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff and more.

Preamble