For the first time in over a decade, there will be play on Middle Sunday at Wimbledon, and there is sure to be plenty for fans to enjoy on this extra day of tennis.  Among the more intriguing matches on offer is the contest between Svetlana Kuznetsova and Sloane Stephens.  They are close in seeding and close in the rankings, and with any luck, this will be an entertainingly close encounter.

Kuznetsova is the higher seeded of the pair at No. 13, one spot above her current ranking.  She has a history of being an up-and-down competitor in terms of her results, but when at her best, she can defeat anyone.  She has shown a few more glimpses of her best throughout this season, winning the title in Sydney and defeating Serena Williams on her way to a finalist finish in Miami.  She had a solid showing on the clay as well, reaching the semifinals of Prague, the quarterfinals of Rome, and the round of 16 in Paris.  Most importantly, she is already a former Roland Garros and US Open champion, so she knows she has it in her to go all the way at Wimbledon as well.

Stephens would dearly love to go all the way at Wimbledon too and prove that she can deliver on all the promise people saw in her three years ago.  The American had a tremendous 2013 season at the majors that left many touting her as the next big star of women's tennis.  She has had her struggles since then, but there have been signs that she is on the right track in 2016.  Despite some inconsistency, she has managed to scoop up three titles this season, those coming in Auckland, Acapulco, and Charleston.  She is now back knocking on the door of the top 20 and is due for another deep run at a major.

The American definitely has the kind of game that could help her continue her run in London by garnering the upset over Kuznetsova.  As great of a mover as Kuznetsova is, Stephens does cover the court better.  Her serve is also arguably a little better over the entirety of a match than the Russian's as well.  But the biggest factor in her favor is that since she does not take as many risks, particularly when she is on the run, she tends to have more consistency from the back of the court, which can pay dividends if the 13th seed is having an erratic day at the office.  It is imperative that Stephens not fall into the trap of becoming passive, though.  Kuznetosva can slug it out with her from the baseline and has more variety in her bag of tricks to disrupt the American's rhythm and extract errors.  Furthermore, Kuznetsova is superior in the forecourt, and the last thing Stephens can afford to do is fall too far behind the baseline, allowing Kuznetsova to dictate and finish at the net. 

While there are apt to be plenty of strategies and adjustments made as these two attempt to outmaneuver the other, much will also be decided by who is more ready to step up and take this match.  Here, too, it is a close call.  They split both of their meetings last season, but Kuznetsova does lead their rivalry 2-1 and won their only meeting at a major.  Wimbledon has not been the best major for either woman, though, and with Kuznetsova losing early in Eastbourne and Stephens forgoing the Wimbledon tune-ups altogether, it is difficult to gauge which woman is feeling more confident about her chances of moving through to the round of 16 at the Championships.

All told, both competitors are looking at a winnable match and an opportunity to move through to the fourth round of Wimbledon.  Either one is deserving.  Neither one would be a surprise victor.  But the slight edge goes to Kuznetsova.  She has squeaked by in two of their three previous tight encounters, and although she has two fewer titles this year, her overall resurgence in 2016 has been more impressive than the American's. 

There has been so much talk and excitement concerning what has been happening in other parts of the men's draw, especially with the shocking exodus of Novak Djokovic, that it can be easy to overlook some sections.  One of those portions is the third quarter of the draw, which features interesting matches like the one that pits Tomas Berdych against Alexander Zverev.  They are in a relatively wide-open section, but only one will have the opportunity to try and make the most of it.

Berdych is the veteran in this affair.  He is a former finalist here at Wimbledon, and he is often labeled one of the most talented players to have never won a major.  He has always been right there in the mix, though, a mainstay in the top 10 for the last several seasons.  In 2016, his results have not quite been where they usually are, and because of that, he has slipped from his career-high ranking of No. 4 from a season ago to No. 9 at present.  He did reach the last eight at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros this year, however, and he is in with more than a decent look to match those feats in London.

Berdych's opponent, Zverev, is only now starting to make his way on tour, but he is doing so at a rapid rate.  The 19-year-old German has quickly risen up the ranks to just inside the top 30, and there are plenty of people predicting big things for this young gun.  Thus far, he has been delivering on that promise too.  Zverev has twice come close to securing his maiden singles title, reaching the final first on the clay of Nice and then on the grass of Halle earlier this year.  He scored a big win over Roger Federer on his journey to the final of the latter event, and after nearly upending Nadal at Indian Wells, one has to believe that Zverev is ready to take on Berdych to reach the second week of a marjo for the first time in his career.

On paper, Berdych is the favorite, but the Czech knows that Zverev presents a tricky challenge.  They both have great height, which they utilize well on their serves.  Berdych, who is fully developed, cuts the more imposing figure.  He gets more meat on his shots from both wings and more pop on his serve.  Additionally, it is the 10th seed who is more competent at the net, which could serve him well if he is able to get there with any regularity.  Zverev is likely to make him hit a lot of balls, though.  He is tall and lanky, which gives him good reach, and he is marginally the better mover of the pair.  He is good at finding the angles from either side and is unafraid to pull the trigger.  If his game is clicking, he can pose problems for Berdych.

Zverev also has to come into this match with the belief that he can get the better of Berdych, and by all rights, he should.  He has lost all three of his prior matches with Berdych, but the last two, which came earlier this year, have gone the distance.  This includes their meeting in Davis Cup, where the German would have reigned victorious had the Czech not been able to pull off two tiebreak sets.  He has also been executing the better brand of tennis of late, and his youth brings him a certain level of freedom and fearlessness. 

Berdych also comes in knowing that he has gotten the better of the German every time that they have met.  He has far more experience here and overall, and he has been to the finals of this event.  But he is in the twilight of his career and is aware that his results have not been quite where he wants them to be this season.  That can produce nerves, and he will have to battle those as well as his opponent if he wants to make the second week.

With any luck, this evolves into the entertaining encounter that it has the potential to be.  These are two talented players at different stages in their career, but both are world-class talents capable of playing big-time tennis.  The smart money is on Berdych to get the W, but perhaps this time an upset might be in the cards.