World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Petra Martic battle on Centre Court in Thursday's second-round match at Wimbledon, a year removed from their third-round meeting.
The French Open champion dispatched Sofia Kenin in straight sets to set up another Martic encounter after the Croatian defeated British Wild Card Francesca Jones in three.
Match preview
© Reuters
After all the fuss about Swiatek not playing a pre-Wimbledon tournament, the Polish star returned to the All England Club with a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 victory over Kenin, who was looking to replicate last year's shock win over American Coco Gauff.
However, the World No. 1 showed little signs of struggling to acclimate to grass, having been last seen on court when she made light work of Jasmine Paolini on Philippe-Chatrier in Paris.
While not completely allaying fears, Swiatek's comfortable return to grass suggests she could be ready to make a play for her first Slam on the surface, having previously been successful on clay and hard courts.
Victory over Kenin means the five-time Slam winner has won 20 matches on the trot, helping her to titles in WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome and at Roland Garros.
A successful fortnight at the Championships will make the 23-year-old the youngest player since Serena Williams to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season, and there is no reason to think the World No. 1 cannot reign supreme in a women's singles section that has seen different winners since Williams last retained the title in 2016.
Martic aims to stun the favourite on Thursday, hoping to avoid a similar outcome from last year's third-round match that ended as expected.
The Croatian advanced to another match-up with Swiatek after overcoming a first-set setback to beat Jones 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
However, the No. 1 seed undoubtedly poses a sterner challenge for the 33-year-old, who has never advanced beyond the fourth round at the All England Club, a feat last achieved in 2022.
The Croatian's chances of matching that appear bleak due to her grass-court season that inspires little confidence after one victory secured at Eastbourne before the Championships allied with the top seed's ongoing undefeated run.
It does not help that the challenger's last win over a top-10 player came in February 2023 — a three-setter with Maria Sakkari — further seemingly reducing the 33-year-old's prospects against Swiatek.
Tournament so far
Iga Swiatek:
First round: vs. Sofia Kenin 6-3 6-4
Petra Martic:
First round: vs. Francesca Jones 3-6 6-1 6-2
Head To Head
Indian Wells (2021) - Round of 64: Swiatek 6-1 6-3
Madrid (2023) - Quarter-finals: 6-0 6-3
Wimbledon (2023) - Third round: Swiatek 6-2 7-5
Swiatek has won all three previous meetings with her opponent, including last year's round three match.
Interestingly, the No. 1 seed is yet to drop a set against her Croatian opponent in that period, notching routine victories over the 33-year-old.
The five-time Slam champion triumphed in 45 of her 49 matches before Wimbledon, more than any other player on the WTA Tour.
We say: Swiatek to win in two sets
Having dominated the three previous encounters between both players, Swiatek is backed to record another comfortable win over Martic, thus extending her unbeaten run to 21 matches. The No. 1 seed has demonstrated that a crossover from clay to grass is no problem, and her aggressive and front-footed style should see the Polish player avoid a shock loss.
