Wimbledon Matches to Watch: Andreescu vs. Rybakina and Kyrgios vs. Krajinovic

Wimbledon Matches to Watch: Andreescu vs. Rybakina and Kyrgios vs. Krajinovic

4 min read

The biggest news on Day 2 at Wimbledon was Serena Williams losing a third-set tiebreak to Frenchwoman Harmony Tan as darkness enveloped the All-England Club. Serena was playing her first singles match since Wimbledon last year.

Tan could have more upsets left in her tank — let’s see what second-round matches might prove most exciting with intel from Universal Tennis INSIGHTS.

Next up for Harmony Tan (11.96) is No. 32 seed Sara Sorribes Tormo (12.57). Tan will need to bounce back quickly from her dramatic 7-5, 1-6, 7-6(7) win over Serena and overturn her INSIGHTS 21% odds of getting past Sorribes Tormo. Earlier this year, the 32-year-old Spaniard beat Tan handily on hard courts in Monterrey.

Andreescu Picks Up Speed

Since returning to the tour in April, Bianca Andreescu (12.75) found her footing on the grass by reaching the final of the WTA 250 in Bad Homburg. She cruised past Emina Bektas 6-3, 6-1 in the first round to set up a clash with No. 17 seed Elena Rybakina (12.74). It’s the Canadian’s first Wimbledon victory (though it’s just her third appearance).

 

 

According to INSIGHTS, Andreescu has a 53% chance of reaching the third round. She has a slightly higher UTR Rating and a greater margin on trending UTR Rating (12.78 compared to 12.67). Thursday will be their first career meeting.

"I have practiced with her a couple of times - not on grass - so I kind of know how she hits," Andreescu said. "I know she fights really hard, so I've got to fight harder."

Cressy Serves and Volleys to Victory

Former UCLA standout Maxime Cressy (15.19) produced one of the biggest upsets in the men’s draw by taking out No. 6 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in his Wimbledon debut. The 25-year-old relied on his serve-and-volley game style to upend the Canadian 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(9), 7-6(5), coming to the net 134 times.

"Against a player like him, you have to stay extremely sharp all the time," Cressy said. "

 

 

Next up for Cressy is Jack Sock (15.09) against whom he has a 56% chance of getting past. The two have never played each other. Per INSIGHTS' head-to-head tool, Cressy holds the edge in UTR Ratings (overall and three-month trending) and better record versus common opponents, while Sock’s recent win-loss record is stronger at 48-28 to 60-45. Cressy has more momentum, reaching his first ATP final in Eastbourne last week.

Youngsters Make Moves

British hopeful Jack Draper (15.30) thrilled his fans with a straight-sets win over Zizou Bergs and could challenge No. 19 seed Alex de Minaur (15.52). INSIGHTS is giving the 20-year-old Draper a 35% chance against the Australian with De Minaur holding the higher UTR Ratings but the young Draper entering with a strong win-loss record (50-21). It will also be their first career meeting.

A whopping 20 Americans advanced to the second round after Day 2 and 19-year-old Brandon Nakashima (15.30) is one of the youngest. His win on Tuesday over qualifier Nicola Kuhn marked his first victory at the All-England Club. Per INSIGHTS, he has a 46% chance of taking out No. 13 seed Denis Shapovalov (15.37).

Players to Watch

A lot of eyes will be on Nick Kyrgios (15.73) as he gets set to face No. 26 seed Filip Krajinovic (15.16). The 27-year-old Australian needed five sets to get past wild card Paul Jubb but is favored by INSIGHTS at 78% to beat Krajinovic. Kyrgios struggled with the crowd and line judges during the three-hour battle but credited his opponent's play as well.

 

 

"Just a typical first round here for me. I played so many five-setters first round. It's an absolute rollercoaster," Kyrgios said. "So just super pumped to be able to just move through, really. Easily could have gone the other way today. A couple lucky shots here or there. He put himself in a position to win."

American Claire Liu (12.41) is set to take on Alize Cornet (12.40) in the second round with INSIGHTS locked at 50% odds of either woman advancing. Like almost all of the matches in this preview, these two players have never faced each other. Cornet has been as far as the fourth round at Wimbledon while 22-year-old Liu is aiming to reach her first-ever Grand Slam third round.

Stay tuned for more from INSIGHTS, and to learn more about Universal Tennis, click here.

•UTR Ratings and INSIGHTS probabilities as of 6 a.m. EST, June 29, 2022.

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