The fields are starting to dwindle down and spots in the proverbial and prestigious second week at Wimbledon are now at stake. It’s getting serious at the All-England Club on Friday, when Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic take the court for third-round competition.
Here are my picks for two of Friday’s matchups.
(1) Jannik Sinner vs. Jenson Brooksby
Sinner is off to an unspectacular start tho his title defense at the All-England Club, but the bottom line is that he has already made it farther this fortnight than he did at the French Open. Playing his first tournament since a second-round exit from Roland Garros, the world No. 1 went five sets with Miomir Kecmanovic and then defeated Nuno Borges 7-6(4), 7-6(2), 6-4 on Wednesday.
Up next for Sinner is Brooksby, who lost their only previous meeting 7-6(2), 6-1 five years ago in Washington, D.C. The world No. 81’s presence in the Wimbledon third round is a bit surprising, as he had been 6-15 at the ATP level this season prior to arriving in London. He appears to be righting the ship, however, with straight-set wins over Aleksandar Vukic and Ignacio Buse. Brooksby is the kind of player who is not going to give you much for free, but he also isn’t going to dictate the outcome of any match against a much higher-ranked opponent. If Sinner plays his best or anywhere close to it, he will advance comfortably.
Pick: Sinner in 3
Hubert Hurkacz vs. (21) Tommy Paul
Paul and Hurkacz will be facing each other for the fifth time in their careers. The head-to-head series stands at 3-1 in favor of the American, who has won three straight over Hurkacz after losing their first contest at the 2021 Paris Masters. Their most recent encounters came at the Rome Masters in 2024 and 2025, with Paul getting the job done 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 and 7-6(4), 6-3.
Grass certainly gives Hurkacz a better shot. The world No. 96 from Poland is a former Wimbledon semifinalist (2021) and advanced to the last 16 in 2023. Alarmingly, though, he had not reached round three of any major since the 2024 French Open before defeating Casper Ruud and Sebastian Ofner to begin his 2026 Wimbledon campaign. Paul is in far superior form, as he reached the Queen’s Club final last month and then clobbered Alexandre Muller and Soonwoo Kwon earlier this fortnight. The world No. 25 should have the edge.
Pick: Paul in 4
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.