Holger Rune has the Wimbledon quarterfinals in his sights as he takes on Bulgarian veteran Grigor Dimitrov on Monday in the round of 16. Daniil Medvedev will also be in fourth-round action against Jiri Lehecka.
(6) Holger Rune vs. (21) Grigor Dimitrov
Holger Rune goes into his fourth-round match off a wild third-round encounter with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The Dane went down two sets to one before he clawed his way back in the fourth to level the match. Most of the fireworks came in the fifth, which culminated in an ill-advised and poorly timed underarm serve by Davidovich Fokina at 8-8 in the tiebreaker.
Rune began the 2023 season with zero career wins on grass, but he found his grass game in a hurry. He played one tuneup event, where he made a run to the semifinals at Queen’s Club. He now has a good shot at the business end of Wimbledon.
Grigor Dimitrov was brutally efficient during the first week of play, as the Bulgarian did not even come close to dropping a set. He was particularly impressive against Frances Tiafoe, whom he completely overwhelmed. The world No. 24 is definitely playing well enough to make an entertaining match of it on Monday, but whether he has enough firepower to upend Rune remains to be seen.
This will be the first meeting between the two men. Rune has had a much better season than Dimitrov has, but the veteran has plenty of experience in big-match situations. He should keep it competitive over four and maybe even five sets, but Rune will likely make his way to the quarters.
Cheryl pick: Rune in 4
Ricky pick: Dimitrov in 5
(3) Daniil Medvedev vs. Jiri Lehecka
Daniil Medvedev has had an odd, unpredictable season with flashes of brilliance interrupted by massive disappointment at majors. The world No. 3 bowed out of the Australian Open in the third round to Sebastian Korda but then went on a winning streak that extended through three full tournaments and nearly through the final of a fourth (lost in the Indian Wells final to Carlos Alcaraz).
Medvedev won the Miami Masters and the Rome Masters, and then crashed out of the French Open in the first round to world No. 172 Thiago Seyboth Wild. He has played well this week, however, with tidy wins over Arthur Fery, Adrian Mannarino, and Marton Fucsovics. Monday’s match marks Medvedev’s second career fourth-round showing at the All-England Club.
Jiri Lehecka has a good game for grass but that has not borne out in his results this season. The young Czech player is ranked 37th in the world. He had one match win at each of his tune-up events but fared better in week one at Wimbledon, with a slight upset win over Tommy Paul in the third round to earn his spot against Medvedev.
This will be the first meeting between Medvedev and Lehecka. Based on current form and experience in big events, the edge has to go to Medvedev in this one–but the Russian is inconsistent enough away from hard courts that a loss wouldn’t be a complete shock.
Cheryl pick: Medvedev in 4
Ricky pick: Medvedev in 3
WWW?
Dimitrov in 5
Lehecka in 5
I have these all being close matches. No doubt some will win in 4.
Eubanks should be 1.80 (in 5 sets)
Lehecka 1.70 (in 5 sets)
Dimitrov 1.70 (in sets)
Berrettini 1.80 in 5 sets)
Dimitrov’s got it on a string and could win in 4. Absolutely destroyed an in-form Tiafoe.
Even Though I’m usually a huge Rune fan, I’m picking Dimitrov in 3….and Med in 3.
Formidable Rune 💪
Bit lucky I think. If he loses the 2nd set TB he probably loses the match in 4.
Tsitsipas, Rune, Alcaraz all put in their best performance of the tournament by a long shot.
Again, where is the statistical significance in making those predictions when everything points to it being a match they might lose and you’re getting under the odds of what their true probability of winning is.