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Grass often favors the bigger hitters in tennis. Big serves, powerful groundstrokes and aggressive net play tends to put players in positions to win.
On day 2 at Wimbledon we have two matches where each player possesses extreme power. American Frances Tiafoe battles the pure ball-striking Yibing Wu while two big servers in Alexei Popyrin and Dominic Stricker face off.
With these matches on the horizon, expect to see plenty of fireworks.
Here are my picks and analysis.
Note: Match times are subject to change. Read here for tips on viewing Wimbledon matches.
Tiafoe (-500) vs Wu (+370)
10:30 a.m. ET
Tiafoe finds himself as a top 10 seed in a Grand Slam. After hoisting the title in Stuttgart and playing at a career high ranking, he will be oozing confidence on the court. He plays a powerful game with a blistering serve and does not shy away from these quick surfaces.
Wu burst onto the scene late last year and will continue to rise through the rankings. His ball striking resembles that of a top 10 player and he shows no sign of fear when faced with the toughest tasks. Although his grass experience is little and his only win is over am injured Nick Kyrgios, I believe his game holds all the necessary items to become a dominant force on this surface.
Asking the Chinese No. 1 to dethrone a top 10 player is a steep ask, but he will compete until the very last point. Tiafoe is in for a real test and although people may have forgotten about Wu over the clay court season, this match will be a preview of what's to come for the rest of 2023.
Trust Wu to match Tiafoe's power and push him to the limit.
Pick: Wu +5.5 games (+105 via DraftKings)
Stricker (-130) vs Popyrin (+105)
10:30 a.m. ET
Massive serves leading to quick service holds are all but a guarantee in this match. Yet two players – whose games in theory should fit the grass court criteria – have yet to unlock the promise they hold on the lawn.
Popyrin has particularly struggled on the surface. Something has simply failed to click. He's just 2-4 in ATP play on grass this year before going 1-1 in the Boodles exhibition play, extending his three year dry spell of failing to beat a top 50 player on the surface.
I am high on Stricker being the next big face of Swiss tennis. Still only 20-years old, Stricker can unleash lefty power that is easily top 50 caliber. Even though he is yet to break the top 100, he owns an 8-5 record against top 50 players. He is still looking for his first main draw Slam win which raises concerns about his fitness over a potential five sets. But, with the style of play that is sure to play out between these two, I do not see fatigue becoming a factor.
Both Popyrin and Stricker have great careers ahead of them. However, I think Stricker's ceiling is just a bit higher. The young Swiss is bound to break the top 100 sooner rather than later and this is a match I see him winning en route to his breakthrough.
Trust the lefty to win the battle of big serves and make his way into the second round.
Pick: Stricker ML (-130 via DraftKings)
