Wimbledon Day 2 Preview and Picks
By Ricky Dimon
XAVIER MALISSE (-140) VS. (14) JUAN CARLOS FERRERO (EVEN)
Oddsmakers are clearly doing everything in their power to get punters to take the Ferrero bait, but the plan will most likely backfire. Ferrero had a poor, relatively injury-plagued clay-court swing and he got blitzed in the opening match of his grass-court warm-up event by little-know Dominik Meffert.
Still, Ferrero—once thought of as a clay-court specialist—reached the Queen’s Club semis (beat Malisse in the process) and Wimbledon quarters last year. The Spaniard might not make it that far this time around, but he should get past Malisse, whose Queen’s Club victory over Novak Djokovic two weeks ago is highly overrated.
Pick: Ferrero in 4 sets
(19) NICOLAS ALMAGRO (-120) VS. ANDREAS SEPPI (-120)
All things being equal, Almagro would be an obvious choice to win this match. For Almagro, though, all things are not equal. In the second round of last week’s AEGON International, the Spaniard had to be carried off the court on a stretcher after a right hip injury.
It’s hard to imagine Almagro being 100 percent for Wimbledon, and when you aren’t 100 percent, Seppi is not the guy you want to be playing. The Italian has no weapons, but he keeps the ball in play and limits his mistakes to a bare minimum. Almagro would do punters a favor by finishing out the entire match.
Pick: Seppi in 3 sets
THIEMO DE BAKKER (-140) VS. SANTIAGO GIRALDO (EVEN)
This could be a good one, as both De Bakker and Giraldo are enjoying breakout seasons. De Bakker peaked at a career-high ranking of No. 43 last week and now stands at 49. Giraldo comes in at a career-high of No. 54.
The key factor in this one, of course, is the surface. Giraldo would have a considerable edge on clay, but De Bakker should get the nod on grass. The 21-year-old Dutchman wields a big serve, whereas Giraldo—a dirtballing specialist—keeps the ball in play from the baseline. On grass, advantage De Bakker.
Pick: De Bakker in 4 sets.
PARLAY: (10) FLAVIA PENNETTA (-300) VS. ANABEL MEDINA GARRIGUES (+200)
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(18) ARAVANE REZAI (-275) VS. MAGDALENA RYBARIKOVA (+185)
As their seedings suggest, Pennetta and Rezai have been in fine form this season. Either one of them going down in the Wimbledon first round would be a substantial surprise. Garrigues is not the easiest of first-round opponents, but she had a bad loss last week in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and she is just 6-7 lifetime at Wimbledon. Pennetta has been to the Wimbledon fourth round on two previous occasions, and this year could be the third.
Don’t be fooled by Rybarikova’s ‘s-Hertogenbosch win over Dinara Safina. Safina is in shambles right now (and also too hurt to play at Wimbledon). The only thing that can stop Rezai in this one is a minor wrist injury, in which case (if she retires) the bet would be void.
Pick: Pennetta in 2 sets and Rezai in 2 sets