Garbiñe Muguruza versus Sorana Cirstea

The middle weekend of Wimbledon is here with the last of the third-round matches set to be played, and already a number of the heavy hitters and pre-tournament favorites have been sent packing.  One who remains is fourteenth seed Garbiñe Muguruza.  The Spaniard struggled with the new expectations that came with winning her maiden major title last year at Roland Garros, but she has been back to playing solid tennis in 2017.  She would like to continue building on that momentum by reaching the second week here, and she has an excellent look at doing so against Sorana Cirstea.  Cirstea will not be a pushover.  Her ranking may have taken a tumble due to injuries, but she was knocking on the door of the Top 20 a few years ago. 

She is a solid baseliner with a damaging forehand, who has accumulated more than a handful of impressive victories in her career.  And though she has yet to do so in London, she herself has been to the second week of a major as well.  The problem for the Romanian is that Muguruza has been here more often.  As mentioned, she is a former Roland Garros Champion, and it was at Wimbledon in 2015 where she made her first appearance in a major final.  Furthermore, she boasts the more imposing game.  She hits bigger off the ground and on the serve, and as she is likely to push Cirstea back, will be in the enviable position of being able to get to the forecourt more frequently.  Barring an error-strewn performance, Muguruza is taking another step towards a second Wimbledon final.

Tomas Berdych versus David Ferrer

The Big 4 remain the heavy favorites to reign victorious at Wimbledon, but there are still plenty of other competitors in the hunt for the crown.  Among them are Tomas Berdych and David Ferrer, but only one of them will still be standing on Monday.  The odds definitely favor the Czech.  Although he has not performed at his usual best this season, he is still ranked world no.15.  He possesses easy, fluid power that places him in prime position to control the rallies and the height differential in this match gives him a clear advantage on serve.  The eleventh seed is a former finalist here and has defeated the Spaniard in both of their meetings that have occurred at a slam.  Suffice it to say, there are a lot of positives in his corner. 

But do not count out Ferrer.  It is true that for the first time in over a decade he finds himself unseeded at Wimbledon, and he has found it difficult to string together wins with any kind of consistency this season.  But Ferrer put together an excellent win over Richard Gasquet in his opening match, and he ought to be fresh after getting the early retirement from Steve Darcis in the last round.  He won the only grass-court meeting he had with the Czech, and Ferrer enjoys an 8-7 lead in his rivalry with Berdych.  Lastly, Ferrer is one of the most tenacious players in the history of the sport.  He may be waging an uphill battle in this contest given that Berdych is the clear favorite, but if the Czech is a little off, Ferrer has the guile and the drive to take advantage and cause the upset.

Coco Vandeweghe versus Alison Riske

American tennis fans have anxiously been looking for a successor to the Williams Sisters and there are some who believe it could be Coco Vandeweghe.  The twenty-fourth seed owns a big game and is not shy about stepping in from either wing to give the ball a ride and throwing down a booming serve.  But she is not all about the power.  She has some nice feel, especially in the forecourt, which can be doubly effective given that her opponents must respect the power she brings to the table.  After making the final four earlier this year in Melbourne, expectations were heightened that she might just have it in her to go all the way at a major, and most figure this is the venue where she is most likely to find that success. 

Her only two singles titles have come on grass and her game is tailor-made for it.  As much as she is in a position to better determine the outcome of Saturday's match, however, folks should not be looking past Alison Riske.  She, too, plays some of her best tennis on the grass.  Additionally, she is 4-4 overall against her countrywoman and has won their last three meetings, including a straight-set victory earlier this year in Dubai.  As a result, she should come into this latest encounter with plenty of confidence, particularly since she defeated Kristina Mladenovic in the last round.  The higher-ranked American should be favored with her superior arsenal, but this could easily be tighter than it appears at first glance.