Three to See, Day 7: Azarenka vs. Svitolina; Swiatek vs. Bencic; Djokovic vs. Hurkacz

Victoria Azarenka vs. Elina Svitolina

“It’s a big challenge for sure; for me it’s a big motivation,” Svitolina said when she was asked about facing Azarenka.

She was referring to more than Vika’s game.

“Firstly I think for my country,” Svitolina said. “It’s another match, but in a way, a lot of Ukrainians will be watching, will be supporting me. I will go out there and put the fighting spirit on.”

Azarenka is from Belarus, of course, one of the two nations that has invaded Ukraine. In Paris, when she played other Russians and Belarusians, Svitolina didn’t shake hands or take photos with her opponents. We can probably expect something similar on Sunday.

As for the tennis itself, Svitolina is going to need every bit of fighting spirit she has. She’s 0-5 against Vika, and she lost their last match 6-0, 6-2 at the 2022 Australian Open. Azarenka is taller, rangier, hits harder, and has a better backhand. We don’t know how she’ll react to playing Svitolina under these conditions, but she doesn’t typically back down from a fight. Winner: Azarenka

Iga Swiatek vs. Belinda Bencic

Swiatek, the top seed, has been winning with expected ease so far. In three matches, she hasn’t dropped a set, and has been breaking her opponents’ serves virtually at will.

Can she continue in that vein in the fourth round? Bencic is hardly a servebot, but she’s a big step up in overall quality. The 14th seed is 23-7 on the season, despite being slowed by injury. She has one win in three matches against Swiatek, which came at the US Open two years ago. And while Bencic has never reached a quarterfinal at Wimbledon, she has the hands and court instincts to succeed on grass—five of her 18 career finals have come on the surface. While Swiatek has made Centre Court her home so far at this tournament, Bencic doesn’t seem like the type to be intimidated by those surroundings.

Swiatek is still finding her way on grass, and Bencic is good enough to take advantage of that. But unlike the woman who knocked Iga out here last year, Alizé Cornet, Bencic isn’t a natural disruptor. Can she beat Swiatek at her own game, by out-hitting her from the ground? I’m not going to bet on it. Winner: Swiatek

Novak Djokovic vs. Hubert Hurkacz

At first glance, and maybe at second and third glance as well, this looks like one-way traffic. Djokovic is 5-0 against Hurkacz, and his last two wins over him came in routine fashion. Then you have the little fact that Djokovic hasn’t lost a match in Centre Court, where this one will be played, in 10 years.

But Hurkacz is still not someone that Djokovic is going to relish facing in that arena, on this surface. He took a set from Nole when they played there back in 2019. Two years later the Pole ended Roger Federer’s Centre Court career on his way to the semifinals.

Hurkacz is tall, not easy to break, has been a Top 10 player, has a grass-court title to his name, and has seemed at times to be a potential future Wimbledon champ—if and when Djokovic finally retires. For now, maybe he can take another set form him. Winner: Djokovic