SkySports tennis commentator James Buttler looks at Thursday's Wimbledon action and picks his winners at SW19.
A Wimbledon Thursday Treble
There’s very much a British theme today for this Thursday treble.
PICK 1: Let's start with the men's side of things. Novak Djokovic, seven times winner at Wimbledon, takes on the young Brit Jacob Fearnley. Djokovic is 1/25 to win the match. He looked great in the first round, despite concerns over his recovery from knee surgery. He came through against Kopriva in straight sets and I'd expect a very similar result against the 22-year-old Brit. Fearnley may have won in straights himself against Moro Canas in round one, but this is different gravy. The Centre Court will give Fearnley their support, but he may need much more than that.
Djokovic in straights for me, and he's 8/15 to win in three.
PICK 2: Staying with the men, Jack Draper is my pick to beat Cam Norrie in an all-British clash on Court One. Draper, pushed all the way by Emer in round one, takes on Norrie, who beat Diaz Acosta in straights in the first round. Norrie leads their H2H 2-1, but they've not faced each other since 2022 in Miami. 22-year-old Draper is a better player now, and Norrie has slipped a bit to world no.42 from a high of 8 in 2022.
Draper for me at 4/11, but it could be a close one.
PICK 3: Another all-British encounter on Court One, this time in the Women's, sees world no.29 Katie Boulter, take on world no.100 Harriet Dart. Dart is a tenacious player, but she trails Boulter on the H2Hs by 6-1. They met recently in Nottingham, and that was the only matchup that's gone to three sets but was only the second time they've played on grass. Boulter has won both of those, and I think Boulter wins again. It's just h+ow we play this to make the treble.
Feel free to play Boulter to win by 2-0 in sets. That's 13/16 and would make the treble 2.67/1 with Bet365, but, I'm going to be slightly braver than that. I think we could get a repeat of that recent Nottingham encounter.
Boulter to go through 2-1 in sets is a 3/1 shot and gives us plenty more value.
It makes the treble 6.45/1 with Coral.
Good luck with all your bets. Enjoy the tennis. Gamble responsibly.
I'll see you again tomorrow.
Comments