Tennis-Djokovic faces Evans test at Wimbledon, Rybakina takes on Sakkari
LONDON (Reuters) -The second round of Wimbledon continues on Thursday, with Novak Djokovic resuming his hunt for an eighth crown when he meets Dan Evans, while 2022 champion Elena Rybakina faces Maria Sakkari.
TOP MEN'S MATCH: DAN EVANS V NOVAK DJOKOVIC
Djokovic will be hoping to be rid of the stomach bug that caused him nervous moments in his opening round win over unseeded Frenchman Alexandre Muller when he meets Evans on Centre Court.
The Serbian cannot afford any distractions against the Briton, who is among a select handful of players to have crossed paths with Djokovic without tasting defeat.
Evans won their only previous meeting, a 6-4 7-5 victory in Monte Carlo in 2021.
"For sure, he's a super talented player and a great competitor. Always backs himself up on the court, believes in himself," Djokovic said.
"Playing obviously against a Brit in Britain, it's never easy. I have to be ready for a great battle. I haven't played him in a long time. The only time we played was on clay actually. He beat me in Monte Carlo.
"He uses his slice quite a lot. I think that favours grass courts because the ball stays low. He can serve and volley. He chips the ball, comes in, mixes up the pace. He's really a tricky opponent to play against."
TOP WOMEN'S MATCH: ELENA RYBAKINA V MARIA SAKKARI
Rybakina has perhaps struggled to live up to her promise after winning Wimbledon in 2022, but she has made a habit of raising her level at the All England Club.
The 26-year-old reached the quarter-finals in 2023 and lost in three sets to eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova in last year's semi-finals.
The Russian-born Kazakh will fancy her chances when she comes up against Sakkari in the second round, having beaten the Greek in their last three meetings, though all of those came on hard courts.
A former world number three, Sakkari has fallen out of the top 50 after a rough spell and was knocked out in the qualifiers of the Berlin Open last month.
SWIATEK LEARNING TO CONTEND WITH 'LIVING SURFACE'
Former world number one Swiatek, who beat Polina Kudermetova 7-5 6-1 in hot conditions in the first round, said she is trying to take each day as it comes as she looks to win a first title on grass.
"Obviously, I needed some time to adjust to the grass because it's different than Bad Homburg. I'm happy with the performance and I felt like I'm playing better every game," the five-times Grand Slam winner told reporters after her win over Kudermetova.
"I'm not really focusing on that. I think with the change of the weather and everything, we will have to adjust every day to a little bit different conditions. Grass is a living surface, so it will also change a bit."
WIMBLEDON ORDER OF PLAY ON THURSDAY (prefix number denotes seeding)
CENTRE COURT (play begins at 1230 GMT)
Daniel Evans (Britain) v 6-Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
8-Iga Swiatek (Poland) v Caty McNally (U.S.)
1-Jannik Sinner (Italy) v Aleksandar Vukic (Australia)
COURT NUMBER ONE (play begins at 1200 GMT)
7-Mirra Andreeva (Russia) v Lucia Bronzetti (Italy)
Maria Sakkari (Greece) v 11-Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)
4-Jack Draper (Britain) v Marin Cilic (Croatia)
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
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