One of the more intriguing third round matches in the ladies draw on Friday will be the compelling encounter between American Sloane Stephens and Czech Lucie Safarova. This marks just the second time that the two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour following their first ever meeting last season in Dubai. Safarova leads the head-to-head series 1-0 with a straight sets win on the Middle Eastern hard court.

In a solid performance on Court 8, Sloane Stephens dispatched Lauren Davis in straight sets to advance to the third round at the All England Club. She struck 4 aces, 17 winners and matched it with 17 unforced errors to finish the contest 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and seven minutes on court.

“It was fun. Obviously it was tough, I was playing an American. But it was good. It was fun. I have been playing well. Like I started off well last week and I got a pretty good groove. Yeah, I’m feeling good. My shots are going in, so that’s good. I mean, grass is always tough, but it’s tough for everybody. I mean, you kind of just gotta get out there and do the best you can.“

In a similarly straightforward affair, Lucie Safarova advanced to the third round of Wimbledon following a straight sets win against Su-Wei Hsieh. Safarova hit 24 winners, 4 aces and matched it with 16 unforced errors to complete the contest 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and five minutes. It was a solid showing overall and sets her up well for her next encounter on Friday.

This marks just the second time that Stephens and Safarova will cross paths on the professional circuit, with Safarova leading the head-to-head series 1-0. While that win was on hard courts a season ago, the Czech No. 2 should find a way to extend her record over the American to 2-0.