We are down the the final 8 players at Wimbledon. SBR's Gary Pearson shares his quarterfinals predictions and best bets ahead of the action Tuesday and Wednesday:
Best bet to advance: Iga Swiatek 2-0 (+100 via DraftKings)
"Both players have enjoyed a relatively easy time of it thus far, with Iga Swiatek dropping one set and Liudmila Samsonova entering the quarterfinals without conceding a set.
Samsonova's flawless record is about to get sullied in a big way.
The only seeded player she's come across is no. 16 Daria Kasatkina, who is by no means a world beater.
The Russian endures recurring nightmares every time she plays the persistent Pole, with Swiatek winning all four. The last three meetings have been particularly disconcerting for Samsonova, who won more than two games in a set once. "
Best upset pick: Ben Shelton (+385 via FanDuel)
"Ok, so hear me out before you scoff louder than Ben Shelton grunts after winning a pivotal point.
Jannik Sinner did not look right after injuring his elbow early in the Round of 16 match against Grigor Dimitrov, which he would have lost had it not been for the Bulgarian sustaining a serious injury.
Ordinarily, I wouldn't go near this bet as Sinner has won five straight matches against Shelton, all of which in straight sets. That makes it 12 successive sets for the imposing Italian.
So, this bet is predicated on Sinner's elbow not being 100% healthy, the status of which is challenging to ascertain. I'm willing to take a flier on it after seeing Dimitrov humble him.
If his elbow is fine, I still expect Shelton to finally win a set. DraftKings and FanDuel offer +385 odds, the joint-best value."
Best prop bet: Novak Djokovic 3-0 (-120 via DraftKings)
"Expect vintage Novak Djokovic in his quarterfinals matchup against 22nd-seed Flavio Cobolli. The 24-time major winner endured his worst set ever at Wimbledon in the opener against Alex de Minaur, and he'll be hellbent on correcting that wayward 30 minutes.
Unfortunately for Cobolli, he's directly in the crosshairs.
They've only met once previously, with Djokovic winning 6-1, 6-2 last year at the Shanghai Masters. While it's been an admirable run for the 23-year-old Italian, whose previous best result at a major was the third round, it's about to come to a straight-sets end."
What are your quarterfinal predictions? Post them below.
Best bet to advance: Iga Swiatek 2-0 (+100 via DraftKings)
"Both players have enjoyed a relatively easy time of it thus far, with Iga Swiatek dropping one set and Liudmila Samsonova entering the quarterfinals without conceding a set.
Samsonova's flawless record is about to get sullied in a big way.
The only seeded player she's come across is no. 16 Daria Kasatkina, who is by no means a world beater.
The Russian endures recurring nightmares every time she plays the persistent Pole, with Swiatek winning all four. The last three meetings have been particularly disconcerting for Samsonova, who won more than two games in a set once. "
Best upset pick: Ben Shelton (+385 via FanDuel)
"Ok, so hear me out before you scoff louder than Ben Shelton grunts after winning a pivotal point.
Jannik Sinner did not look right after injuring his elbow early in the Round of 16 match against Grigor Dimitrov, which he would have lost had it not been for the Bulgarian sustaining a serious injury.
Ordinarily, I wouldn't go near this bet as Sinner has won five straight matches against Shelton, all of which in straight sets. That makes it 12 successive sets for the imposing Italian.
So, this bet is predicated on Sinner's elbow not being 100% healthy, the status of which is challenging to ascertain. I'm willing to take a flier on it after seeing Dimitrov humble him.
If his elbow is fine, I still expect Shelton to finally win a set. DraftKings and FanDuel offer +385 odds, the joint-best value."
Best prop bet: Novak Djokovic 3-0 (-120 via DraftKings)
"Expect vintage Novak Djokovic in his quarterfinals matchup against 22nd-seed Flavio Cobolli. The 24-time major winner endured his worst set ever at Wimbledon in the opener against Alex de Minaur, and he'll be hellbent on correcting that wayward 30 minutes.
Unfortunately for Cobolli, he's directly in the crosshairs.
They've only met once previously, with Djokovic winning 6-1, 6-2 last year at the Shanghai Masters. While it's been an admirable run for the 23-year-old Italian, whose previous best result at a major was the third round, it's about to come to a straight-sets end."
What are your quarterfinal predictions? Post them below.
and drinking.