Three third round matches to watch at Wimbledon on Saturday, the sixth day of the 2019 tournament (x denotes seeded player:
Roger Federer (SUI x2) v Lucas Pouille (FRA x27)
Head-to-head: Federer leads 1-0
-- Eight-time champion Federer is playing in the third round of a Slam
for the 70th time and despite a first set blip in his opening win over
Lloyd Harris, he has been untroubled.
The 25-year-old Pouille has defeaated two fellow Frenchmen in Richard Gasquet and Gregoire Barrere to reach the third round.
He made the quarter-finals in 2016 but lost in the second round in the last two seasons.
Federer on his 2nd round win over Jay Clarke: "It was very much
dominated by my serve. Then on the return, just tried my best. Sometimes
it was working, sometimes not, which is normal I think on the grass."
Rafael Nadal (ESP x3) v Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)
Head-to-head: Nadal leads 8-4
-- The rivalry between Nadal and Tsonga started in 2007 although they
have not met since 2015 when the Frenchman won in the Shanghai
semi-finals.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Nadal overcame the controversial Nick
Kyrgios in the second round to record his 50th win at Wimbledon as he
continues his bid for a 19th major.
Tsonga downed Bernard Tomic in just 58 minutes in the first round, a result which saw the Australian fined for tanking.
Tsonga complained that the £45,000 ($56,600) fine handed out to Tomic had devalued his win.
The 34-year-old French player is a two-time semi-finalist at Wimbledon, making the last-four in 2011 and 2012.
Nadal on his tournament: "I have another tough opponent in Tsonga. Every match is tough. My draw is tough one."
Ashleigh Barty (AUS x1) v Harriet Dart (GBR)
Head-to-head: First meeting
-- For the first time at this Wimbledon, world number one and French
Open champion Barty gets a chance to play on Centre Court where she will
try to make the last 16 for the first time.
Barty fell in the third round last year but will be favoured to get past British wild card Dart, ranked at 182 in the world.
The 22-year-old fell in the first round of her Wimbledon debut last year to former world number one Karolina Pliskova.
At the Australian Open, she came through qualifying only to be pitted against Maria Sharapova where she lost 6-0, 6-0.
Dart on life at the Grand Slams: "I think I'm just learning from all
these experiences that I'm having this year. Everything is still pretty
new for me. Again, this is my second Wimbledon. I'm still finding my
feet. I'm definitely proving that my tennis is definitely right up there
with the level."
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