A pair of two-time major champions, Petra Kvitova and Andy Murray, know well what it takes to win at Wimbledon. They face a pair of slow-court specialists as their final obstacles in the first week.

Petra Kvitova vs. Jelena Jankovic

“Location!  Location!  Location!”  That is an expression often used in the real estate business to explain why the pricing of living accommodations differs according to geographical area.  It is also an expression that might just as easily apply to certain tennis players as far as gauging their odds for success at a particular tournament.  For example, Petra Kvitova has never been a pillar of consistency, and yet if there is one venue where she can generally be counted upon to bring the goods, it is Wimbledon.  She has looked extremely sharp through her first couple of rounds here and will aim to continue that streak against Jelena Jankovic in the third round.

There is no denying that Kvitova is the player favored to get through this match and advance to the fourth round, if for no other reason than she has enjoyed more success in the last six months leading into Wimbledon.  That is not to say that Jankovic has played poorly this season.  On the contrary, she put forth a phenomenal effort to reach the final of Indian Wells, logged some respectable results on the clay, and showed fine form in a couple of the Wimbledon tune-up events before arriving at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. 

The problem for Jankovic is that Kvitova has simply played better in that same time frame.  She is the fittest she has ever been, and that has helped her climb back up to No. 2 in the rankings.  She has won two titles in 2015, one of which came in Madrid, where she became the only player this season to hand Serena Williams a loss.  She has also been more effective than the Serb through the first couple of rounds here.  Whereas Jankovic has barely scraped by, Kvitova has barely been dropping games, let alone a set, so she will come into Saturday's match feeling the more confident and fresher of the two.

Another issue for Jankovic is that Kvitova, who owns a 4-2 head-to-head record against the Serb and would therefore hold the mental edge even under normal circumstances, gets an added boost with their seventh meeting taking place at Wimbledon.  Jankovic can play well on the grass. She has garnered some impressive results and reached the fourth round of Wimbledon on multiple occasions.  She has suffered some early losses at this tournament as well, however, and she is a player more comfortable on the hard courts.  Kvitova, on the other hand, is someone most at home on the turf.  It seems that, irrespective of her form coming into London, she almost always manages to flip a switch to call on her best at this event.  She reached the quarterfinals or better at Wimbledon on her last five trips, and many like her chances of continuing that streak in 2015.

Kvitova has a highly effective serve and possesses a lethal combination of raw, easy power as well as delicate touch.  When on her game, she can take the match right out of the hands of many opponents, and Jankovic is no exception to that rule.  If the Serb hopes to stand a prayer in Saturday's match, she needs to commit to staying up on the baseline, taking the ball early, and moving forward whenever possible.  It is also essential that she bring her running shoes, since if there is one area where Kvitova still sometimes struggles, it is with her consistency.  Jankovic is the type of player who can put enough balls back in play to make Kvitova pay for having a bad day at the office.

The truth is, unless Kvitova helps Jankovic by producing an error-strewn performance, it is hard to envision this encounter ending in anything but a victory for the Czech.  She is playing better, and in the end, has more weapons and natural ability.  Provided she can stay out of her own way, she should see herself safely through to the fourth round.

Andy Murray vs. Andreas Seppi

Whenever a Grand Slam singles draw is released, there is always immediate talk about who has to beat whom in order to win the title.  Most players, however, wisely to do not indulge in such speculation.  They know how the draw can open up or how they themselves can becomes victims of a shocking upset.  For Andy Murray, his draw at the Championships has opened up considerably from where it was a week ago.  The withdrawal of David Ferrer and defeat of Rafael Nadal at the hands of Dustin Brown have left his path to a second Wimbledon title looking a little easier.  But the Scot will not be taking anything for granted, and if he hopes to take advantage of his good fortune, he will have to first get by Andreas Seppi.

There is not much reason to believe that Murray will falter against Seppi, since so much of this match is in his hands.  It is true that Seppi is a solid player.  He does not have any glaring weaknesses, but he also does not have any great strengths.  He will often err on the side of caution to maintain consistency rather than take the risk and pulling the trigger, even if the opportunity may be there to do so.  It is a style of play that has earned him a respectable career, but it has also kept him out of the uppermost echelons of the sport.

Unfortunately for Seppi, he is facing a player in Murray who can also play maddeningly consistent tennis, and do it at a higher level.  The former No. 2 regularly hits bigger and deeper than the Italian from the baseline, owns the better serve, and also boasts greater variety from the back of the court.  Furthermore, Murray appears to be more committed to being aggressive, which has helped him impose his will on matches to greater effect.  In addition to all of that, he has exceptional touch and feel at the net and is genuinely more at ease on the grass than the 25th seed.

Murray should also be more at ease with the situation as a whole.  He has two major titles under his belt and a multitude of other final, semifinal, and quarterfinal appearances.  Additionally, he's accumulated a number of other prestigious titles in his career, so he is more equipped than Seppi to mentally handle the big matches.  Furthermore, this has historically been a favorable match-up for Murray.  The Scot has won six of his past seven matches against Seppi, and his lone loss was their initial encounter, which came nine years ago.  He certainly has no reason to believe a seventh victory is not just around the corner.

Seppi arguably has little reason to believe he is going to turn his head-to-head around with Murray any time soon either.  Indeed, he is facing an uphill battle if he hopes to make the second week at the Scot's expense.  One positive the 25th seed has going for him though is that he not a player who beats himself.  He is a fit competitor who will fight until the last ball, no matter what the score.  If Murray is guilty of looking too far ahead with all that has transpired in his quarter of the draw, this could get tricky.  Seppi got the better of Roger Federer earlier this year at the Australian Open when the Swiss produced a lackluster performance, and he would not hesitate to do the same to Murray if he gets careless here at Wimbledon.

In all honesty, it is unlikely that Murray will get careless or ahead of himself in this match.  After all that has already transpired in this first week, he will be guarding against the upset.  More importantly, he is back to playing championship-level tennis since a minor back surgery in 2013.  Granted, if he gets moody and a little sloppy, Seppi could find a way to win, but otherwise, if Murray keeps his nose to the grindstone and maintains his present form, the British fans will have plenty to cheer.