Wimbledon 2023: Jodie loses to Daria, Arthur Fery beaten by Medvedev

LONDON (Agencies): Britain’s Jodie Burrage looked overcome by nerves as her Centre Court debut at Wimbledon ended in an hour with defeat by 11th seed Daria Kasatkina.
Burrage, 24, earned her first win at the All England Club on Monday but lost 6-0 6-2 to Kasatkina in round two. On Court One, 20-year-old Arthur Fery lost 7-5 6-4 6-3 to third seed Daniil Medvedev on his SW19 debut. Four more Britons are due to play on Wednesday, although Jan Choinski’s match was called off after more rain.
The wet weather played more havoc with the schedule on a day when 87 matches were scheduled, after downpours forced most of Tuesday’s play to be postponed.
However, day three also got off to a wet start and play on the outer courts started almost two hours later than planned at 12:45 BST. There was also another unplanned stoppage when environmental protesters ran on to Court 18, throwing confetti and a jigsaw on to the surface during the match between Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov and Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro.
Burrage seems overawed on Centre Court debut
Burrage was the first Briton to fall on Wednesday after appearing to be overawed by the occasion of playing on Centre Court.
The British number two won just seven points in a 19-minute opening set and, after breaking early in the second set, saw her momentum ruined by a 20-minute rain delay.
When the pair returned, Kasatkina won five straight games to reach the last 32.
Making her debut on the iconic Centre Court was a richly deserved reward for Burrage, who has enjoyed the best year of her career.
Burrage thought about quitting the sport in 2020 after a catalogue of injuries, resuming her career after deciding to persevere and reaching new heights this year.
A run to the Nottingham Open final in June – the first WTA title match of her career and where she lost to fellow Briton Katie Boulter – lifted her to a career high of 106th in the world.
The success on the British grass courts this summer continued with her maiden win in the Wimbledon main draw, a victory which left her fighting back the tears afterwards.
Facing Russian world number 10 Kasatkina, who won the Eastbourne title last week, was always going to be a big step up in class for Burrage.
After almost 40 minutes, Burrage finally got on the scoreboard early in the second set – to the great relief of the player and the home crowd.
But the rain delay came at what felt like the worst possible time for the Briton and when they returned, Kasatkina again found her rhythm quicker. Burrage was given a rousing reception as she walked off court and can console herself with the knowledge she could break into the world’s top 100 for the first time after the tournament.