Wimbledon Betting: Round 2 Picks on the Men’s Side

Thursday’s Round 2 matches at Wimbledon serve up some doozies, with several players facing each other for the first time. 

Wimbledon betting odds are locked and loaded for Thursday’s action, so let’s dive into a couple of matches you should pay particular attention to. 

Wimbledon Odds: Maxime Cressy (-200) vs. Jack Sock (+155)

The all-American matchup features world No. 45 Maxime Cressy and Jack Sock, who comes in as the world’s 103rd-ranked player. 

Cressy is brimming with confidence after shocking world No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime in a delectable five-set first-round encounter. Cressy captured the only break in the match, underscoring the dominance of both players’ service games. 

Cressy won 79% of the points on his first serve. Even more telling, he won 63% of the points on his second serve. Cressy, who spends more time at the net than any other player in the men’s draw, advanced 134 times against the Canadian. He won 71% of his 134 approaches. A throwback to the good old serve-and-volley days, Cressy, according to Wimbledon odds, is the heavy -200 favorite. 

A #Wimbledon debut to remember 👏

Maxime Cressy shocks Felix Auger-Aliassime in four sets to reach the second round pic.twitter.com/CIUOGuVoxn

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2022

Sock and Cressy have never played each other on tour.

Sock has won four ATP titles since turning pro in 2011, none on grass. This is Sock’s sixth Wimbledon appearance. He has never advanced past the third round. Sock is the fresher of the two after easing past Bernabé Zapata Miralles in straight sets. 

Thanks to his fierce and relentless serve, Cressy’s aggressiveness and ability to get out of a jam should be enough to prevail against his compatriot. 

Pick: Cressy (-200), Four Set Victory (+290)

Wimbledon Odds: Denis Shapovalov (-189) vs. Brandon Nakashima (+145)

Denis Shapovalov ended his six-match losing streak with a first-round victory over Arthur Rinderknech (6-1, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4, 6-1) in a roller-coaster five-set affair. The Canadian has, akin to his first-round match, endured a topsy-turvy 2022 thus far. 

Before outlasting Rinderknech in the first round, Shapovalov hadn’t secured a victory since May 12, when he beat Rafael Nadal in the Italian Open. After defeating the 22-time Grand Slam champion, Shapovalov lost in the quarterfinals to Casper Ruud. He was then ousted in his first match at five straight tournaments before prevailing on Day 1 at Wimbledon. 

The 23-year-old Canadian, ranked 13th at Wimbledon, advanced to the 2021 semi-final at the All England Club and will be hoping he can draw upon that success and experience when he faces Brandon Nakashima on Thursday. 

Nakashima, world No. 56, got past Nicola Kuhn in four sets on Day 1. It is the American’s second appearance at Wimbledon. Last year’s maiden Wimbledon experience ended in a first-round defeat. 

The 20-year-old has a promising future and will look to take advantage of Shapovalov’s recent struggles. 

Although Nakashima impressed against the 261st-ranked Kuhn, Shapovalov represents an immeasurably more difficult challenge. Wimbledon is only Nakashima’s sixth appearance at a Grand Slam. He qualified for the third round at the 2022 French Open, his best result at a major.   

Thursday’s match between the North Americans represents their first head-to-head match. 

Look for the Canadian to build on his first-round victory and defeat the inexperienced Nakashima, perhaps in four sets. 

Pick: Shapovalov (-189), Four Set Victory (+310)