Three to See, Wimbledon Day 5: Will Eubanks' run continue? Can Wawrinka threaten Djokovic?

WATCH: What does Stan think of his chances against Novak?

Cam Norrie vs. Chris Eubanks

Is Eubanks the American version of Norrie? They’re both 27, they both played college tennis in the South—TCU for Norrie, Georgia Tech for Eubanks—and they’ve both been late-bloomers as pros. Norrie made his run up the rankings, and into the game’s elite, in 2021; Eubanks started his own rise earlier this year, when he reached the quarterfinals in Miami, and continued it when he won his first title, on grass, in Mallorca last week. He’s sitting at a career-high No. 43.

The two have never played, but the location of their first meeting will strongly favor Norrie. He’ll have a big home-crowd advantage on No. 1 Court. He has already been a semifinalist at Wimbledon. And, being in the opposite side of the draw from Novak Djokovic, he must feel as if he has a golden opportunity to make a Slam final that may never come again. Eubanks, meanwhile, just won his first-ever main-draw match at Wimbledon earlier this week.

That said, at 6'7", with a bending serve and a one-handed backhand, Eubanks does have a game for grass. He’ll likely give Norrie a minimal number of chances to break, which means this one could come down a few points here and there, and the winner may be the guy who can raise his game during the tiebreakers. On this day, in this place, that’s probably going to be Norrie. Winner: Norrie

Novak Djokovic vs. Stan Wawrinka

Looking at this match-up, you may wonder if you’ve been transported back to the mid-2010s. During those years, the Stan and Nole show gave us some of the most memorable matches of the decade, including a pair of five-set, late-night spectacles at the Australian Open, and a Roland Garros final-round performance by Wawrinka that ranks among the best ever.

Djokovic is 36 now, but if anything he’s only risen higher up the mountaintop in the 2020s. Wawrinka is 38 and has been counted out due to injury a couple of times, but he keeps putting in the hard years to come back again. And they’re paying off again. Stan’s major-title-winning days are surely behind him, but he can still hang with just about anyone outside the Top 5. So far at this Wimbledon, he has beaten Emil Ruusuvuori and Tomas Etcheverry, two promising players who are 14 and 15 years his junior, respectively.

Does Wawrinka have it in him to throw another scare into Djokovic? It’s a long shot. Djokovic is 20-6 in their head-to-head. He won their last meeting, in Rome a year ago, 6-2, 6-2. And it has been seven years since he lost a completed match to anyone, let alone Stan, at Wimbledon. Still, Wawrinka’s forehand is as heavy, and his backhand as legendary, as ever. He’s also one of the few players who will know he has a chance against Djokovic. Maybe that’s enough to get him a set? Winner: Djokovic

Elina Svitolina vs. Sofia Kenin

Two comebacks collide in this battle of the under-ranked. Svitolina is currently 76th, but has been as high as No. 3. Kenin is currently 128th, but has been as high as No. 4. Each has begun to make strides back up the ladder. Svitolina reached the quarters at Roland Garros and beat Venus Williams in the first round this week. Kenin beat Aryna Sabalenka in Rome and Coco Gauff in her opener on Monday. Now they’ll meet in a late-day match on Court 3 on Friday.

It will be their sixth encounter; all five of the others came in 2019. Judging by those matches, this one should be competitive. Svitolina leads 3-2, but all five have featured one tiebreaker, and two of them have gone three sets. Svitolina may typically have the power advantage, but against Gauff, Kenin hit with more pace and depth, and showed more determination, than she has in two years. If she can keep that attitude alive, she can win again. Winner: Kenin