Wimbledon 2017: Victoria Azarenka heaps praise on "great player" Heather Watson
VICTORIA AZARENKA has praised "great player" Heather Watson ahead of their Wimbledon third-round tussle.
Resurgent Watson played superbly to trounce 19th seed Anastasija Sevastova 6-0 6-4 today, conceding just eight points in a blistering opening set.
She now faces former world No.1 Azarenka for a place in the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.
Azarenka has recently had a child, Leo, who she travels with on tour with.
She's balancing that and a pro tennis career - and now she has a home favourite to worry about.
I think she's a great player. She definitely is going to be a crowd favorite. I think she played really well last week in Eastbourne
Azarenka said: "I think she's a great player. She definitely is going to be a crowd favorite. I think she played really well last week in Eastbourne.
"It looks like she feels really comfortable coming into this match.
"To me, it's just another match. I don't want to pay a lot of attention to those aspects.
"I'm just going to go out there and play my match.
"I obviously have a lot of respect to every opponent that I play and not take anything for granted."