Wimbledon R2 previews and predictions: Hurkacz vs. Fils, Draper vs. Norrie

Both Hubert Hurkacz an Jack Draper have the potential to go a long way at Wimbledon, especially in a weaker bottom half of the draw. They will be facing Arthur Fils and Cameron Norrie in round two, respectively, on Thursday.

(7) Hubert Hurkacz vs. Arthur Fils

Hurkacz is a trendy pick to do some major damage at Wimbledon. The Pole upset Roger Federer en route to the 2021 semifinals and pushed Novak Djokovic in four very tight sets during fourth-round action last year. This season Hurkacz is 34-13 overall with a recent runner-up performance on the grass courts of Halle (lost to Jannik Sinner). The world No. 7 got off to a slow start against Radu Albot on Tuesday but prevailed 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 while striking 24 aces compared to just three double-faults.

Up next for Hurkacz in the second round on Thursday is a first-ever meeting with Fils. The 20-year-old Frenchman has won 17 tour-level matches this season and is up to 34th in the rankings. He faced fellow NextGen star Dominic Stricker in the opening round and capitalized at the expense of an oft-injured and rusty opponent to get the job done 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. Fils is quickly figuring out how to play on grass in the early stages of his promising career, but–at least right now–he is more comfortable on clay and now he has to face the best server and one of the most dangerous grass-court players in the sport.

Pick: Hurkacz in 3

(28) Jack Draper vs. Cameron Norrie

It will be an all-British affair when Draper and Norrie go head-to-head for the third time in their careers on Thursday. Both of their previous encounters have gone Norrie’s way; 6-3, 6-3 at Queen’s Club in 2021 and 7-6(5), 6-4 at the 2022 Miami Masters. Of course, Draper is a much different player now. The 22-year-old Brit has managed to stay healthy this season and a 21-13 record has him up to 28th in the world. A force on grass, Draper beat Carlos Alcaraz to reach the Queen’s Club quarterfinals and he scraped past Elias Ymer 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in front of the Centre Court crowd on Tuesday.

Norrie, meanwhile, has been going in the other direction. The 28-year-old Brit peaked at eighth in the rankings in September of 2022 thanks in part to his 2021 Indian Wells title and 2022 Wimbledon semifinal run, but he now finds himself at No. 42. Norrie, who owns a modest 15-13 record this season, took advantage of grass-court novice Facundo Diaz Acosta to win 7-5, 7-5, 6-3 in his Wimbledon opener. The draw suddenly gets much tougher against his fellow countryman and left-hander. Draper understandably came out with some nerves in his first match amidst lofty expectations, but he should settle down with a win under his belt–which would likely result in a more comfortable victory.

Pick: Draper in 3