Sport
Wimbledon: Best bets for the third round
The Wimbledon Championships are already nearing the end of the first week, with the third round matches due to be played across Friday and Saturday.
We preview some of the action below, alongside some of our recommended bets.
Frances Tiafoe v Grigor Dimitrov – Saturday
One of the most eagerly anticipated third round clashes sees the 10th seed Frances Tiafoe square off against Grigor Dimitrov. The Bulgarian comes into this one on the back of two three-set victories against the unseeded Sho Shimabukuro and Ilya Ivashka, maintaining a mighty 83% first serve win rate across the two games.
The American Tiafoe continued his impressive form at SW19 by securing another comfortable victory in the second round. After a convincing win over Yibing Wu in his opening match, Tiafoe displayed a strong start against Dominic Stricker and managed to win the first set in a tiebreak. Maintaining his dominance, the 25-year-old began to exert control over the match, allowing his opponent to win only four games in total and securing a two-set lead. With this victory, Tiafoe’s record at SW19 improves to 10-5.
Both players come in at 10/11 for victory in this one, so looking beyond the match winner markets will be a more profitable selection. We especially like the look of the match to go to four sets at 13/10, whilst Frances Tiafoe to win and over 37.5 games in the match at 17/10 offers good value as well.
Frances Tiafoe v Grigor Dimitrov markets
Tommy Paul v Jiri Lehecka – Saturday
The 16th seeded Tommy Paul faces off against the unseeded Jiri Lehecka in our other previewed game on Saturday World. Number 15 Paul put an end to Milos Raonic’s remarkable comeback in the previous round, winning in straight sets against the clearly unfit Canadian, who was a finalist in the 2016 tournament. On grass surfaces, Paul has played nine matches, averaging 23.9 games per match and displaying a strong performance with 10.2 games per set.
Meanwhile, the Czech-born Lehecka, ranked 37th in the world, progressed to the third round with a straight-set triumph over Francisco Cerundolo. Displaying dominance throughout the match, the Czech player lost only two games in each set, further enhancing his 2023 win-loss record to 23-14 and his Wimbledon performance to 2-1.
Earlier this season, Lehecka achieved quarterfinal appearances at the Australian Open and Banja Luka, as well as a semifinal run in Doha. Notably, he reached the Round of 16 in both grasscourt tournaments this year, showcasing his ability to adapt to different surfaces. On grass, Lehecka’s performance remains promising, having played four matches in the past 12 months. He has averaged 22.8 games per match, showing a competitive spirit and winning 48.4% of games.
The match winner odds are likewise competitively stacked, with Paul the slight favourite at 8/11 and Lehecka coming in at 11/10. We’re sensing a five-setter here, so backing Paul to win 3-2 at 7/2 is the selection for this one.
