The second round of the cinch Championships concludes on Thursday with a four-match card on the main court which will be played out on another roasting day in the English capital as the quarter final line up gets finalised.
The temperatures are set to sizzle in London over the next couple of days and organisers will be hoping that the tennis does so too as we build up towards the end of the popular ATP 500 competition.
Tommy Paul vs Stan Wawrinka
The action will begin with the American player Tommy Paul on show against the former Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, who is looking to get back to where he was in the game but isn’t on his best surface here.
Paul is a favourite to win this match and I think that is fair enough as much on his regular action as it is any ability he might have. I don’t think this is his best surface but he did well to come through against Denis Shapovalov in the first round, albeit the Canadian looked all at sea. Wawrinka had a good win over his doubles partner this week in Frances Tiafoe in the first round which should have given him some confidence. It wouldn’t be the biggest surprise in the world if the Swiss star continues the trend of outsiders winning this week but I can’t say I’m massively keen in getting involved either way here.
Denis Kudla vs Matteo Berrettini
The second match of the day was all set up when the draw was made to be Andy Murray against the defending champion Matteo Berrettini but instead the Italian will continue his title defence against the lucky loser Denis Kudla.
Kudla certainly made the most of his second chance in this tournament when he took care of Lorenzo Sonego in the first round and now he faces an even bigger serving Italian here. Berrettini might be returning from an injury which saw him miss most of the clay court season but he looks in great touch. He won Stuttgart last week and delivered a serving masterclass to see off Dan Evans in the first round here. If he keeps that level up he’s the champion this week no doubt about it, however he is coming back from some time off and the matches might catch up with him eventually. If that isn’t here the second seed will win but at the prices I’m happy to leave it.
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Ryan Peniston vs Francisco Cerundolo
The sole remaining Brit in the tournament is the wildcard Ryan Peniston and he will look to make the quarter finals of an ATP 500 event for the first time when he takes on the Argentine player Francisco Cerundolo who is making strides in the game.
Peniston goes into this match as the favourite to win it and I would imagine that is mostly because he is familiar with the surface and has played a few grass court events and picked up a few wins but we shouldn’t forget he is a product of the US college system so he won’t have played that much on grass. He was still far too good for the number one seed Casper Ruud in the first round but the Norwegian was his own worst enemy in that encounter. We saw Peniston’s fellow Brit Jack Draper have a good win in the first round and then be all at sea as a favourite in his next match on Wednesday and lose tamely and with this match being on the primetime third slot there is a lot of pressure on the home man here. There were certainly no signs that Cerundolo doesn’t like grass in his opening win and as a player who has reached the semis in Miami this season I think he is value to confirm the 134 place difference between the two in the world rankings.
Filip Krajinovic vs Sam Querrey
The last of the second round matches sees yet another former winner here taking to the Centre Court once again as Sam Querrey goes up against the Serbian player Filip Krajinovic in a second game in a row where the lower ranked player is the favourite to win.
Querrey might be aging in years but there was no signs that his grass court game has left him as he demolished Diego Schwartzman in the opening round. Admittedly Schwartzman has an average record on grass but Querrey didn’t just beat him, he dismantled him. Krajinovic had a solid enough win over Jenson Brooksby in the first round but faced a host of break points in that match but the rising American star didn’t take them on a surface he just looked a little uncomfortable on. There is no such troubles with Querrey and I expect him to win this but he isn’t as consistent as he was so at odds on I’m happy to let him do so.
Tips
Back F.Cerundolo to beat R.Peniston for a 3/10 stake at 2.40 with Betway
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