If the weather cooperates on Saturday at Wimbledon, we should have the second week contenders for each draw set and ready to get closer and closer to crowning two champions by day's end.
Here are my bets for de Minaur – Pouille and Mpetshi Perricard – Ruusuvuori in my Saturday Wimbledon predictions.
Match times are subject to change. Read here for advice on viewing Wimbledon matches.
Wimbledon Odds & Wimbledon Picks
Alex de Minaur (-2000) vs Lucas Pouille (+850)
6 a.m. ET
Last time out with de Minaur as this big of a favorite, we actually backed de Minaur to send Jaume Munar packing in short order. He did just that, keeping the match under 29.5 games, though he nearly stumbled after being 6-2, 6-2 and serving at 4-1 up in the third set.
This time around, he's once again priced as a gargantuan favorite, but de Minaur is playing someone who can actually provide some resistance.
Lucas Pouille is having a kind of renaissance Grand Slam run here, having qualified and now moved through two rounds of the main draw.
Last time out he beat Thanasi Kokkinakis via retirement, with both of them having to play five sets the day prior and go again on little rest. That shorter match is actually part of the handicap, with Pouille's perennial injury issues likely keeping me off this one if he had to finish out four or five sets last round.
As for his game, the Frenchman possesses plenty of power and a very nice serve. He's a former top 10 player that's just been plagued by injuries. The first set moneyline may also be a look here at +400, as you'd figure with the physicality discrepancy between these two, if Pouille is going to win a set, it likely has to be one of the first two.
Pick: Pouille +2.5 sets (+125 via BetRivers)
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (-150) vs Emil Ruusuvuori (+120)
6 a.m. ET
Neither of these guys are remotely capable on return. They're both serve-centric and first strike tennis players. This has tiebreaks written all over it and even with the added margin that bookmakers tend to take on derivatives, having this match go over 3.5 tiebreaks should not be priced up at +225. In three sets that may be a tad unrealistic as a single break of serve would likely decide the set, but this match is more than likely going four or five sets and adding on more sets obviously gives us a better chance to cash the high-priced prop.
These guys are both coming off tiebreak-heavy matches last round and I'd argue that they're both going up against a lesser returner on the other side of the net this time around.
With the price well over +200, I'm happy to take a shot at a the tiebreak prop and won't have any problem kissing the money goodbye if this is the Mpetshi Perricard match that sees the breaks of serve flow.
Pick: Over 2.5 tiebreaks (+225 via bet365)
