The primary theme for Day 8 of The Championships at Wimbledon is avoidance — that the remaining big names, especially on the men’s side, can simply avoid the stunning amount of losses sustained by the top ranked women during the singles play of Day 7. Wimbledon 2011 will feature several unfamiliar names for the casual fan, at least among the ladies, while the men seem to enjoy the rank and file approach.
The eighth day at All England is also All Ladies for those interested in singles play. Centre Court is focused on key matches between Marion Bartoli and Sabine Lisicki, who play on ESPN at 7am ET, and Dominika Cibulkova and Maria Sharapova, who will play untelevised at the same time. Other key ladies matches on Day 8 include Petra Kvitova vs. Tsvetana Pironkova (on No. 1 Court at 8am ET/7am C) and Tamira Paszek vs. Victoria Arazenka (same as Kvitova/Pironkova).
ESPN will play the Maria Sharapova vs. Dominika Cibulkova match starting at 1pm ET/12pm CT throughout the afternoon on delay. With so many stars already out, it’s a bit of a slow day at Wimbledon. Then again, after losing the Williams sisters and Caroline Wozniacki in one day, everyone might need some time just to collect their breath.