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C'mon Conor!

A bluffer's guide to ... Conor Niland's Wimbledon debut

He’s been waiting for this moment since he was a child, and now it has finally arrived. Here’s everything you need to know about Conor Niland’s Wimbledon debut.

HISTORY WILL BE made in SW19 this afternoon as, for the first time since Sean Sorensen’s defeat to Rod Laver in 1977, an Irishman takes part in the first round of the Men’s Singles at Wimbledon.

The whole country appears to be firmly on the Niland bandwagon at this stage. Here’s what you need to know ahead of his game against Adrian Mannarino this afternoon.

How did Conor get this far?

Because he’s ranked 185 in the world, Niland had to win three pre-tournament qualifying matches in Roehampton last week. In his first round qualifier against Josselin Ouanna of France on Monday, he needed to save five match points before taking the deciding set 8-6. Then, against the Australian Greg Jones, he dropped the first set 6-4 before rallying to take the final two sets. His best performance came in his last game against Nikola Mektic which he won by three sets to love after patiently waiting through numerous rain stoppages.

Who’s this Mannarino guy?

Adrian Mannarino is a 22-year-old from France, currently ranked 55th in the world. Like Niland, he plays most of his tennis on the ATP Challenger circuit where he has won twice and come runner-up on five occasions. He has picked up plenty of Grand Slam experience over the past few years, though he is a no stranger to an early exit. His only previous appearance at Wimbledon was in 2009, when as a qualifier, he was beaten in straight sets by fellow Frenchman Marc Gicquel in the first round.

Has Conor ever played him before?

Once, on a hard court at the Spain F19 Futures tournament in La Palma in 2006. Mannarino, who had only turned professional the previous year, won their last 32 match 6-2 3-6 6-2.

What time does it all get started at?

We don’t really know, to be perfectly honest. The match is scheduled to be played third on Court 17 today, with play beginning at 12pm. However, the first-round Ladies’ Singles match between Tamira Paszek and Ayumi Morita is already in its final set, so hopefully that won’t take too long to finish. The man himself reckons he should be on at about 2.30 or 3pm.

Where can I watch it?

Conor’s match will be broadcast live on TG4 whose Wimbledon coverage starts at 1pm this afternoon. Alternatively, if you’re not near a television, we’ll have live game-by-game updates here on the site.

What do the bookies say?

As expected, Conor is the outsider of the pair, with Mannarino currently available at odds of about 3/10 – which, for the non-betting types among you, roughly translates into about a 75% chance of victory. If you fancy Conor to cause an upset, he’s available at odds of 11/5 to win today,  or 8/1 to win without dropping a set.

What’s next if he wins?

You’ve probably heard by now that a win for Conor this afternoon would most likely set up a second-round tie against six-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer. Nice.

The road to SW19: what’s next for Conor Niland? >