Our tennis tipster Andy Schooler looks ahead to Saturday’s action at Wimbledon with his best bets.
Daily tennis betting tips: Wimbledon
1.25pt Cameron Norrie (+5.5) to beat Alex Zverev on the game handicap at 11/10 (Unibet, BetMGM, BetUK)
1pt Lucas Pouille to win a set v Alex de Minaur at 8/5 (Coral, Ladbrokes)
1pt Beatriz Haddad Maia to beat Danielle Collins at 6/4 (General)
Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook
Cameron Norrie v Alex Zverev
I’m going to stick with looking for angles involving the underdogs on Saturday with Norrie immediately looking a big price at 5/1 to win this.
I can see how the layers have got to those odds – Zverev leads the head-to-head 5-0.
However, the most-recent meeting, played on a pretty fast court at January’s Australian Open, went to a final-set tie-break. As the scoreline suggests, there was little between the players.
Norrie admitted to doing extra video research ahead of that clash and it appeared to pay dividends – he’d lost the previous four in straight sets.
One of the keys to (relative) success was the ability to mix things up, Norrie coming forward on several occasions, a tactic which should also work well on the grass.
This surface isn’t Zverev’s favourite and while he’s had few problems en route to the last 32, this looks a much tougher test against a player who made the semi-finals here in 2022.
Admittedly, Norrie hasn’t been in the greatest form but a return to SW19 appears to be working well and he was impressive in beating fellow Briton Jack Draper in straight sets on Thursday.
While I’m not ready to back Norrie for another upset, I do feel he’s overpriced and so the way to get with him is on the game handicap where he gets a 5.5-game start.
That Melbourne meeting in January saw Zverev win just one more game.
Notably, there have been tie-breaks in four of their five previous matches so even if Norrie is beaten, there looks a good chance he’ll be able to keep the scoreline fairly close.
CLICK HERE to back Norrie (+5.5) to beat Zverev on game handicap with Sky Bet
Lucas Pouille v Alex de Minaur
14/1 about Pouille here just looks one of those prices which lacks respect.
Again, he’s probably not going to win the contest – De Minaur is enjoying a fine season and won in Den Bosch in the build up to Wimbledon.
But that doesn’t mean he’s simply going to be brushed aside.
The Frenchman is a former quarter-finalist here and is one of few players to have won an ATP title on grass, doing so in Stuttgart in 2017.
He’s slumped down the rankings since then but he lost his serve only once as he won three qualifying matches to reach the main draw and he’s now battled through to the third round.
De Minaur is yet to lose a set but he’s hardly faced much.
James Duckworth actually took him to three tie-breaks in round one and while the limited Jaume Munar was also beaten in straight sets, De Minaur almost made a mess of the third set of that one, eventually winning it 7-5.
In what will be the pair’s first meeting, I’m torn between backing Pouille with a 7.5-game start or for him to win a set.
With the latter available at 8/5, that’s the route I’m going to take.
CLICK HERE to bet on Pouille v De Minaur with Sky Bet
Danielle Collins v Beatriz Haddad Maia
I wrote about Haddad Maia in places prior to the tournament, suggesting her as a potential dark horse.
She’s not had the best of seasons but she’s enjoyed success on the gasscourts before and the theory was a return to the surface could spark an upturn.
It’s so far, so good for the Brazilian in SW19 but now the opposition gets tougher with Collins being the 11th seed.
That said, the American isn’t a player particularly at home on grass. Indeed, in this contest she’ll be attempting to win three grasscourt matches in a row for the first time in her career.
She will look to win the match with her thumping groundstrokes but the lower bounce isn’t ideal on that front and in Haddad Maia she’ll be facing an opponent who is strong defensively and will be prepared to rally all day long from the baseline.
The Brazilian will also be prepared to come to the net when required through and I can see her greater court craft finding the way to victory here.
Worth a bet at 6/4.
CLICK HERE to back Maia to win with Sky Bet
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