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Iga Swiatek has beaten all of her opponents during an impressive 21-match winning streak, but on Saturday she will face Wimbledon rival Yulia Putintseva, who is known for her dabbling in the dark arts.
Novak Djokovic, chasing a record eighth men’s singles title, will hope for a smoother third-round campaign, while former champion Elena Rybakina takes on wild card Caroline Wozniacki.
AFP Sport looks at three matches to watch on day six at the All England Club:
Swiatek’s psychological test
Iga Swiatek looked ominous on the grass at Wimbledon as she chased a sixth Grand Slam title.
Standing in her way is the diminutive Yulia Putintseva, whose antics in Indian Wells earlier this year angered the world No. 1.
As Swiatek prepared to serve, the Russian-born player swayed from side to side, for which she was reprimanded by the chair umpire.
Putintseva, who calls herself “a gangster on the court and an angel off it,” even unleashed a series of underhand serves.
“Maybe they teach this in Kazakhstan,” Swiatek said.
“I can only take responsibility for what happened to me. Whatever happens, I want to maintain a high standard and I see this match as a test of my mental training.”
It won’t be easy to beat Swiatek at Wimbledon as she is seeking her first ever grass-court tennis title.
Rusty Djokovic seeks top form
Novak Djokovic barely broke a sweat in his first match of the week but came under heavy attack from British rising star Jacob Fearnley in his second.
Weeks after knee surgery, the Serbian feels he is not fully recovered yet.
“I’m not at the level I want to be,” he said after his second-round win. “I’m not usually late, but this time the ball was a little late.”
“That’s part of the game, I guess. So the longer I compete, the better chance I have of my moves improving.”
Next up for the seven-time champion is Australia’s Alexei Popyrin, whom he beat in four sets at the Australian Open earlier this year.
With Carlos Alcaraz and Yannik Sinner in the mix, Djokovic can clearly see his path to a sixth straight All England Club final.
If he reaches the July 14 final, he will have a chance to tie Roger Federer’s record of eight men’s Wimbledon titles and become the first player, male or female, to win 25 Grand Slam tournaments.
French gunner Mpetshi Perricard
France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is a holdover from the last era of big service giants.
There was a time when players like John Isner, Ivo Karlovic, Kevin Anderson and others licked their lips on the green grass of Wimbledon.
The slower courts at the All England Club have somewhat blunted the power of the powerful servers, but Mpetish Perikade has kept the tradition alive.
The 2.03-meter (6-foot-8) 20-year-old French player leads the way at Wimbledon with 78 aces.
“I’m very happy to have such a serve, it helps me tremendously,” said the world No. 58, who only made it to the main draw as a lucky loser in qualifying.
But the tall Frenchman does not wish to be pigeonholed and will battle with Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland for a place in the last 16.
“If you are tall, of course it helps, but if you don’t have good technique, if you haven’t trained, if you haven’t spent a lot of time on the court, then you are not going to be able to hit a lot of aces in a match,” he said.
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