Wimbledon is still extremely backed up due to rain, so the second round won’t be completed on Thursday. It will continue, though, and Stan Wawrinka is among those in action.
Here are my previews and picks for two of the best matchups.
(29) Thomas Martin Etcheverry vs. Stan Wawrinka
We are one match away from a possible Wawrinka vs. Novak Djokovic showdown, which probably wouldn’t be a competitive contest on the court but would and least make headlines for the names involved. Despite being past his prime (during which he won three slams), the 38-year-old is still inside the top 100 at No. 88 and he came with a stellar 7-5, 7-5, 6-4 win over Emil Ruusuvuori in the Wimbledon first round.
Etcheverry, however, will not be an easy out in what is their first-ever head-to-head encounter. The 23-year-old Argentine is seeded at the AELTC thanks in part to a Roland Garros quarterfinal run. He is 20-14 overall this year following a comeback from two sets down to beat Bernabe Zapata Miralles on Tuesday night. This could definitely go either way, but Wawrinka is more rested and is the better grass-court player.
Pick: Wawrinka in 5
(18) Francisco Cerundolo vs. Jiri Lehecka
A clay-court specialist Cerundolo is not. There was already little doubt surrounding the 24-year-old’s all-court potential even prior to the 2023 campaign, as he made a run to the 2022 Miami Masters semifinals last spring. Cerundolo is playing even better this s, as he defended almost all of his Miami points (quarterfinals) and won a grass-court tournament last week in Eastbourne.
Following a four-set defeat of Nuno Borges in round one, Cerundolo will face Lehecka. The 21-year-old Czech dismissed Sebastian Ofner is straight sets, but he is still just 3-5 lifetime on grass. This is a great chance for the red-hot Cerundolo to reach round three.
Pick: Cerundolo in 4
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.