A blockbuster first-rounder pits Stanislas Wawrinka against Lleyton Hewitt on Monday at the All-England Club. Xavier Malisse, Fernando Verdasco, and Janko Tipsarevic are also in action as the season’s third Grand Slam gets underway.
Lleyton Hewitt vs. (11) Stanislas Wawrinka
Hewitt and Wawrinka will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers and for the second time this season when they collide in the Wimbledon first round on Monday. They faced each other three months ago on the hard courts of the Indian Wells Masters, where Wawrinka prevailed 6-4, 7-5. Their only previous grass-court encounter came during Davis Cup playoff action in 2011, when the Swiss–playing on the road in Australia–survived a 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-3 thriller.
Wawrinka’s outstanding 2013 campaign continued last week on the grass courts of the Topshelf Open. The world No. 10 won four matches before falling to Nicolas Mahut in the title match. Wawrinka is now 34-11 for the season, which is highlighted by a title in Oeiras, a runner-up finish in Madrid, and a quarterfinal showing at the French Open. Hewitt had lost four consecutive matches heading into the grass-court swing, but it may have all turned around for him at Queen’s Club. The 32-year-old Aussie earned scalps of three seeded opponents (Grigor Dimitrov, Sam Querrey, and Juan Martin Del Potro) then lost to to defending champion and eventual runner-up Marin Cilic 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.
Wawrinka is an obvious favorite on paper, but he is a mere 9-8 lifetime at Wimbledon and he has not advanced past the second round since 2009. Grass will give Hewitt, who has been to the quarterfinals or better five times, a great chance at an upset. He even won the title back in 2002. In the end, though, Wawrinka’s firepower should prove to be just a little bit too much for the underdog.
Pick: Wawrinka in 5
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Fernando Verdasco vs. Xavier Malisse
Malisse and Verdasco will be meeting for fifth time in their careers on Monday. Verdasco leads the head-to-head series 3-1, but none of his victories has come on grass. Their only previous encounter on the slick stuff came last year at this same event, with Malisse coming out on top of a third-round showdown 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. The 32-year-old Belgian has always been a force on grass. He is a former Wimbledon semifinalist (2002), he has reached the last 16 in each of the past two seasons, and he has not lost prior to the third round since 2009. Malisse’s 2013 campaign had mostly been a disappointment until he played well at Queen’s Club (won a match before losing to Del Potro 7-5 in the third) and advanced to the ‘s-Hertogenbosch semifinals before falling to eventual champion Nicolas Mahut.
Of similar ilk in that he is an all-surface player, Verdasco is not quite as adept on grass. The Spaniard reached the fourth round at the All-England Club in 2006, 2008, and 2009, but he has never moved beyond that stage. His record in his last three Wimbledon appearances stands at an even 3-3. Like Malisse, Verdasco coming off a solid showing in the week leading up to the season’s second Grand Slam. The former world No. 7 advanced two rounds in Eastbourne before succumbing to eventual title winner Feliciano Lopez. Verdasco will have to serve well in this one because that shot is arguably the shakiest part of his game and he will hard-pressed to stay on level terms with Malisse if he is struggling to hold. Malisse should have a slight edge based on current form and grass-court history.
Pick: Malisse in 5
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(14) Janko Tipsarevic vs. Viktor Troicki
It will be an all-Serb affair when friends and Davis Cup teammates Tipsarevic and Troicki collide on Monday. Tipsarevic leads the head-to-head series 2-1 following a 6-2, 7-6(3) victory last fall at the Shanghai Masters. All three of their previous clashes have come on hard courts. Tipsarevic is a disappointing 13-12 for the season and he has plunged out of the Top 10 to No. 14 in the world as of Sunday. He compiled a 4-6 record on clay and this match signals his grass-court debut in 2013.
Troicki, on the other hand, appears to be going in the other direction. After a dismal stretch on hard courts, the world No. 44 reached clay-court quarterfinals in Bucharest, Munich, and Dusseldorf before making a run to the Roland Garros fourth round. Troicki recently captured the title at the Boodles exhibition, which does not mean much but if nothing else it might give him additional confidence. Tipsarevic may be the favorite on paper, but Troicki owns a considerable edge in current form.
Pick: Troicki in 5
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