Andy Murray & Serena Williams start Wimbledon doubles & Coco Gauff on Centre Court
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Coco Gauff (right) has enjoyed a fairytale run at Wimbledon that has won her lots of new fans
Wimbledon 2019 on the BBC |
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Venue: All England Club Dates: 1-14 July |
Coverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. Full details |
Wimbledon's new star Coco Gauff gets a first taste of Centre Court on Friday, while Andy Murray's blockbuster pairing with Serena Williams begins.
Having already dispatched a five-time champion and a semi-finalist, Gauff's next target is Slovenian world number 60 Polona Hercog.
Another intriguing third-round match is between former world number ones Simona Halep and Victoria Azarenka.
Top seed Novak Djokovic is in action, as is 2018 runner-up Kevin Anderson.
There are no Britons in singles action, with Johanna Konta, Harriet Dart and Dan Evans resuming their campaigns on Saturday.
Centre Court for 'calm' Coco
American 15-year-old Gauff has won fans with her accomplished straight-set victories over seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams and 2017 Wimbledon semi-finalist Magdalena Rybarikova.
She played both of those matches on Court One but her exploits have now earned her a Centre Court billing, and judging by her previous performances it will not faze her.
Asked about the key to her success here, she replied: "I think just me staying calm. A lot of players aren't so calm on the court, even though they've been playing for a long time."
The winner of that match will face 2018 French Open champion Halep or two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka, who meet in an eye-catching encounter just before them.
The Andy & Serena show - episode one
Mixed doubles rarely has the kind of spotlight it will be under when the much-anticipated partnership of former world number one Murray and 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams takes to the stage.
No court has been announced yet for what will be the hottest ticket in town, although organisers have said their match against Alexa Guarachi and Andreas Mies will not be before 17:30 BST.
Murray, 32, returned to Grand Slam tennis for the first time since career-saving hip surgery with a first-round victory alongside Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the men's doubles on Thursday.
Williams, who survived a scare to reach the third round of the singles on Thursday, said she was looking forward to teaming up with the Scot and learning from him.
"I think Andy is a great player - he is mentally one of the toughest players out there. I don't even know what goes on in his mind," the 37-year-old American said.
"It's always interesting to hear what other champions think, how you can apply it to your game. It's only a win-win situation for me. Hopefully it will be for him, as well."
Djokovic, Anderson & Pliskova among top seeds also in action
Defending champion Djokovic has made serene progress through his first two matches and his meeting with world number 46 Hubert Hurkacz is not expected to pose him too much trouble.
The pair met for the first time in the first round of the French Open in May, with the Serbian 15-time Grand Slam champion winning in straight sets.
The runner-up to Djokovic at last year's Wimbledon, Kevin Anderson, is also in action against Guido Pella in the day's opening match on Centre Court.
In the women's draw, which has been hit by early exits for defending champion Angelique Kerber and second seed Naomi Osaka, third seed Karolina Pliskova will bid for a place in the fourth round when she faces world number 29 Hsieh Su-wei.
