Former Queen’s Club champion Tommy Paul will begin another quest for the title against fellow American Zachary Svajda on Monday. First-round action also features an all-French affair between Corentin Moutet and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
(8) Tommy Paul vs. (LL) Zachary Svajda
Svajda was one of the breakout stars of the French Open, making a run to the fourth round from pretty much out of nowhere before losing to eventual runner-up Flavio Cobolli in a fourth-set tiebreaker. The 23-year-old American had previously won just 11 main-tour matches in his career. Now up to No. 62 in the world, Svajda was part of the qualifying competition at the HSBC Championships and fell to compatriot Martin Damm before getting a lucky-loser spot in the main draw.
A first-round matcup with Paul is not so lucky. The eighth-seeded American won this tournament two years ago, reached the Eastbourne final in 2023, and owns a 10-4 lifetime record at Wimbledon. In other words, he knows what he is doing on grass. Paul is coming off a decent showing at Roland Garros, where he advanced to the third round and had a match point against Casper Ruud only to lose a five-set marathon. On this surface (and really on any surface), Paul should definitely have the upper hand over Svajda.
Pick: Paul in 2
(Q) Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs. Corentin Moutet
It will be another showdown between compatriots when Moutet and Mpetshi Perricard take the court on Monday. These two Frenchmen, who have never faced each other, come in with the exact same season-long record — and it isn’t good: 6-12.
On the bright side for Mpetshi Perricard, he at least built some confidence with a pair of Queen’s Club qualifying victories — beating Johannus Monday and Aleksandar Kovacevic in straight sets without even requiring a single tiebreaker. GMP is now 4-1 on grass this summer, losing only to Alexander Bublik in a pair of tiebreakers in the Stuttgart quarterfinals. Moutet exited right away in Stuttgart at the hands of Nick Kyrgios, extending his losing streak to a ridiculous six matches. The skid isn’t likely to end in a grass-court match against Mpetshi Perricard.
Pick: Mpetshi Perricard in 2
WWW?
Moutet edges it on his usual behaviour
Beeb had to apologise
I missed it he dropped the f word repeatedly on court interview.