Wimbledon Day 1 expert picks, including Anderson vs. Herbert and Dimitrov vs. Moutet

Wimbledon gets underway on Monday, when 2018 runner-up Kevin Anderson and former semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov will be taking the court. Ricky Dimon and Cheryl Murray of The Grandstand preview the action and make their picks.

(4) Kevin Anderson vs. Pierre-Hugues Herbert

Ricky: Anderson went all the way to the Wimbledon final last summer, but it wouldn’t be that big of a shock if he exits in round one this time around. The 6’8” South African has been plagued by elbow problems this season and his comeback at Queen’s Club was unspectacular. All of that, though, is simply to say that this one will be competitive. I don’t see Herbert–Andy Murray’s doubles partner–actually winning. Although the Frenchman is an all-court player, he would rather go up against Anderson on clay. Anderson in 4: 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3.

Cheryl: This is a tricky first-round opponent for Anderson. The 2018 Wimbledon runner-up has been hurt for a significant part of the season. He made his 2019 grass court debut at Queen’s Club but lost in the second round to Gilles Simon. Conversely, Herbert made the semis in Halle–where he lost to eventual champion Roger Federer. An in-form Herbert on grass is nobody’s idea of a good first-round opponent. It’s even more dire for Anderson, who is still trying to shake off the injury rust. Herbert in 5: 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 3-6, 8-6.

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Grigor Dimitrov vs. (Q) Corentin Moutet

Ricky: Not unlike in Anderson vs. Herbert, a big-name player who is struggling (Dimitrov) will make for a competitive first-rounder. And similar to Herbert, Moutet is a Frenchman in fine form. The lefty reached the third round at Roland Garros and already has three qualifying wins under his belt at Wimbledon. Unfortunately for Moutet, Dimitrov is showing signs of life. The Bulgarian beat Marin Cilic at the French Open and then lost to Stan Wawrinka in three tiebreakers–a high-quality contest. And he has always been dangerous at the All-England Club. Dimitrov in 5: 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.

Cheryl: Moutet is one of a pack of talented young players coming up through the ranks. He has mostly been plugging away on the Challenger circuit (with success), but an impressive showing in qualies this week puts him in at least a decent position to pull off a first-round upset over a struggling Dimitrov. Dimitrov played a warmup event at Queen’s Club, but he lost in the first round to Felix Auger-Aliassime. I think it’s safe to say that Moutet is the warmer of the two and Dimitrov may well be ripe for the picking. Moutet in 4: 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4.

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Pablo Carreno Busta vs. (Q) Alexei Popyrin

Ricky: Carreno Busta should be decent on grass; he is a good doubles player and underrated at the net. Unfortunately, he isn’t. The Spaniard had never won a grass-court match in his entire career prior to this past week, when he reached the Antalya semifinals before falling to eventual champion Lorenzo Sonego. At just 19 years old, Popyrin won three grass-court matches last week alone–qualifying for the Wimbledon main draw. This kid is coming, and he is no stranger to long slam matches (lost to Lucas Pouille in five sets at the Australian Open, beat Bjorn Fratangelo in a tight four-setter on Thursday). So best-of-five won’t be a problem. Popyrin in 5: 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-4.

Cheryl: PCB is having a miserable 2019. A round of 16 showing at the Australian Open was by far his best result of the year. Since then, he has barely won more than a match at a time. Popyrin already has three matches under his belt at Wimbledon, as he earned his main-draw spot through qualies. The Australian teen also had a couple of wins in Stuttgart a few weeks ago to kick off his grass season. Alhough PCB is ranked higher, current form would suggest that a Popyrin win would scarcely qualify as an upset. Popyrin in 5: 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.

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Hubert Hurkacz vs. (32) Dusan Lajovic

Ricky: Hurkacz won their only previous meeting last fall in Shanghai qualifying. The stage is a much different one now, and both guys have since taken off to the extent that qualifying for pretty much any tournament is a thing of the past. Lajovic, though, is just 2-7 lifetime at Wimbledon and the recent Monte-Carlo runner-up would rather face this big-hitting opponent on clay. Hurkacz successfully qualified in SW19 last summer, so he at least has some experience on the green stuff. The 22-year-old also rose to the occasion on a big stage in Indian Wells by upsetting Dominic Thiem. Hurkacz in 5: 7-5, 6-7(4), 4-6, 6-2, 8-6.

Cheryl: Lajovic limped into 2019. Of the 14 tournaments he played, he lost in the first round in eight. An out-of-nowhere run to the final in Monte-Carlo was his single bright spot. By contrast, Hurkacz had a good start to the season but has slumped recently. His losses include (but aren’t limited to) in the semis of a Challenger event in Poland and a first-round ouster to Joao Sousa in Halle. Of the two, Hurkacz seems to have the better upside this season. The Pole also won their only other encounter in the Shanghai qualies. Hurkacz in 4: 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.

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