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Wimbledon is here. We have arrived at the place where class and elegance meets the highest level of competition. Day 1 begins and 128 players still have high hopes of making a run here in London.
On the opening slate, there are two matches I am targeting where I see the most value. First is a battle between two players who don't necessarily enjoy the grass – Miomir Kecmanovic and Diego Schwartzman. The second match features two others who are still trying to solidify their names as top caliber players – Aleksander Vukic and Daniel Altmaier.
Here are my picks and analysis for each of these matches.
Note: Match times are subject to change. Read here for tips on viewing Wimbledon matches.
Kecmanovic (-220) vs Schwartzman (+180)
9 a.m. ET
Both of these players would pick grass as their least favorite surface, but I believe both of them are underrated on the lawn.
These two are phenomenal baseliners, playing with lots of topspin and they do not often come to the net – a recipe that is not great for grass. However, Kecmanovic can pack some punch behind his serve and forehand and Schwartzman stays low to the ground, benefiting from the decreased bounce.
The Serbian performs best when he can implement his aggression against weaker opponents whereas the Argentine causes problems when his opponent lacks the necessary fire power to consistently hit through him.
Kecmanovic has picked up a couple quality grass wins this season and holds an ATP final back in 2019. Despite this, he has a sub .500 record on the surface. I do not believe he has the firepower to hit through Schwartzman with consistency.
When Schwartzman faced off with Mackenzie McDonald two weeks ago it was a great example of an opponent struggling to hit through Schwartzman's defense. I could see this match being very similar. He has had one of the worst years of his career, but he will not be a pushover at Wimbledon.
Pick: Schwartzman (+3.5 games -102 via FanDuel)
Vukic (-150) vs Altmaier (+125)
9 a.m. ET
Altmaier’s game is not built for grass. His is the typical clay-courter but does not produce the power that Kecmanovic does, nor does he have the defense that Schwartzman does. He’s lost four of his last five grass court matches and is coming off a match in which he retired.
Vukic, on the other hand, has a game built for the surface. He lacks some of the talent that some top players have, but he has found his way into the top 100 and will look to continue his upward trend. He possesses a huge game highlights by a cannon serve.
I believe Altmaier will have an extremely difficult time handling Vukic’s serve whereas the Australian will pounce on the German’s kick second serve. For Altmaier to win, he will have to find a way to handle extreme power off Vukic’s racket and I simply don’t see that happening.
Vukic opened at -110 and has moved all the way to -150. That's a price I would still be willing to pay for this matchup, but I believe he will cover the game spread as well.
Pick: Vukic -1.5 games (-125 via FanDuel)
