Lloyd Harris to face American teenager in Wimbledon Round 1

South Africa’s Lloyd Harris will face little-known American teenager Alex Michelsen in the first round of this year’s Wimbledon tournament.

Harris, 27, came through three rounds of qualifying to secure his spot in the men’s singles main draw starting on Monday, 1 July.

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He will be the only South African – male or female – in singles action at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in 2024.

Lloyd Harris is currently ranked 118th in the world, while 19-year-old Michelsen is 55th.

They have never faced each other before.

Whoever wins the match will take on the winner of the clash between American 14th seed Ben Shelton and Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci in the second round.

Handsome pay day awaits Lloyd Harris

Harris beat Italy’s Andrea Vavassori 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of qualifying, then proved too strong for Britain’s George Loffhagen, winning 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/5) in the second round.

On Thursday, Harris beat France’s Hugo Grenier 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5) to seal his qualification.

He is guaranteed a handsome pay cheque at Wimbledon, no matter how far he progresses.

It’s already been a lucrative few days for Harris who picked up £40 000 (R935 000) for progressing through the qualifying rounds.

Should he lose his first round match in the tournament itself, the lanky Capetonian is guaranteed another £60 000 (R1.4 million).

Harris’s best performance to date on the hallowed grass courts at Wimbledon came in 2021 when he reached the second round.

The South African website will keep readers updated in free-to-read articles as to Harris’s progress at the tournament.

At the time of publishing it’s unclear whether Harris will be in men’s doubles or mixed doubles action at Wimbledon.