Wimbledon R3 preview and prediction: Mahut vs. Herbert

It will be head-to-head showdown between arguably the best doubles partnership in the world when Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert square off in an unexpected third-round singles clash at Wimbledon on Friday afternoon.

Their only previous meeting came two years ago on the outdoor hard courts of the St. Remy Challenger, where Mahut got the job done 6-4, 6-4 in a semifinal clash. Fast forward to 2016 and the veteran Frenchman is still going strong at 34 years old; in fact, he may be playing the best tennis of his career–both singles and doubles. Mahut captured his fourth title (all on grass) earlier in this grass-court swing in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (his third triumph there, all in the last four seasons). So far at the All-England Club he has taken out Brydan Klein and David Ferrer without surrendering a single set.

Herbert, who helped Mahut briefly reach the No. 1 doubles ranking earlier this month (Mahut is currently second behind Jamie Murray), has advanced to the last 32 with victories over Philipp Kohlschreiber and Damir Dzumhur, both in four sets. The 81st-ranked Frenchman had never appeared in round three of a Grand Slam prior to 2016, but he has now accomplished the feat in Melbourne and London.

This should be a classic grass-court clinic, as both men are experts at the net and are therefore unafraid to serve-and-volley. It will be an especially tough test for Herbert, who still has little experience in the main draw of majors under his belt and could endure a mental strain of playing a very good friend who is considerably older.

As for Mahut, he once held 84 consecutive service games in a single match at Wimbledon (vs. John Isner, of course, in 2010) and now even his return game is in fine form. He broke Ferrer a whopping seven times in Thursday’s surprising beatdown. This is Mahut’s time to reach the second week of a slam for the first time in his career.

Pick: Mahut in 4

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