Wimbledon, Day 3: Five Matches To Watch

Day 3 of Wimbledon 2010 features action from the second round, as well as the conclusion of three matches from Day 2 that were postponed due to darkness.

US TV coverage is on ESPN2, except during the World Cup games, when it switches to ESPNU.
1. Michael Llodra (FRA) vs No. 5 Andy Roddick (USA) (8 AM EST on ESPN 2) -- Andy Roddick draws one of the toughest floaters in the draw, Michael Llodra, in the first match of the day on Centre Court. Llodra just won a grass-court title in Eastbourne last week, and won the doubles title at Wimbledon in 2007. He’s playing with a ton of confidence under his new coach, Amelie Mauresmo. Roddick rolled through his first round match, but Llodra is a smart, creative player who will pose all sorts of new challenges.

2. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) vs No. 2 Venus Williams (USA) (11 AM EST on ESPNU) -- Just as her compatriot Roddick faces the Gentlemen’s draw’s toughest floater before her, Venus Williams takes on the toughest floater in the Ladies’ Singles field in Ekaterina Makarova. Makarova won Eastbourne as well, and has even more impressively won nine straight matches, including five over top twenty opponents. More impressively, she’s won all nine matches in straight sets, meaning that she’s won 18 straight sets. It’s not the sort of test Venus Williams wants in the second round, to be sure. Venus should be able to beat her on power and experience, but at the same time she does not have particularly good record against lefties (like Makarova). This one could get waye interesting than the five-time champion would like.
3. No. 1 Roger Federer (SUI) [1] vs Ilija Bozoljac (SRB) (~11:30 AM on ESPNU) -- A rare Roger Federer appearance away from Centre Court sees the top-seed take on Serbian qualifier Ilija Bozoljac in what should be a fairly lopsided match. I have a feeling Bozoljac will keep his personality in check because of the grandeur of the stage, but hopefully he doesn’t. He’s developed a reputation as one of the most narcissistic players in the game (and that’s saying something), by posting all sorts of pictures (like this) on various social networking sites. Plus he has propensity for some pretty epic mental meltdowns. If it’s not a good match, hopefully it will be a good show.
4. Shenay Perry (USA) vs No. 27 Maria Kirilenko (RUS) (~10:30 AM, Probably Not Televised) -- Shenay Perry was the last American left in Wimbledon in 2006, so she knows her way around a grass court. She should be able to dictate play against counter-puncher like Kirilenko, and could. An upset would certainly be a deserved result for a player like Perry who has been stricken with injuries that nearly ended her career in the last several years.
5. Jarmila Groth (AUS) vs No. 33 Melanie Oudin (USA) (11 AM on ESPNU) -- This will be a very interesting match to see where Oudin’s game is right now. Groth is an incredibly powerful ball-striker who will likely dictate play, but she’s erratic enough that Oudin will be able to capitalize if she plays smart. patient tennis. I don’t like Oudin’s chances particularly, but it’s still probably a match she should win.

The complete order of play can be found here.