The seeds continue to tumble at this years Wimbledon championships and the latest high profile names to fall were third seeds Cilic (advised 13/2) and from the women’s draw third seed and reigning champion Muguruza. Cilic was the biggest surprise as the 2017 finalist and 2018 Queens winner. He looked in cruise control when two sets to love up on Wednesday evening, but he was never the same player after the rain delay and the dark cloud was still hanging over him yesterday as he proceeded to lose in five sets. Muguruza was in a winning position after taking the first set, but she was never fully in control against the big hitting Van Uytvanck. Once Muguruza’s level began to drop the Belgian took full advantage and she stormed back to win 4-6 6-2 6-1.

The third round commences today and the likes of top-seed Federer, eighth seed Anderson, ninth seed Isner, eleventh seed Querrey and thirteenth seed Raonic are all in action. I received some valuable insight from a reliable source who watched Raonic live at Wimbledon this week and he kindly reported that he looked in great shape and form. With Cilic now out of Raonic’s section of the draw, I think it makes him a strong contender to win the Second Quarter.

After Watching the first and second rounds of the men’s championship Federer is of course still the one to beat. His main test looks like it will come at the quarter final stage if he faces Querrey or Anderson and then the semi-finals if he faces Raonic. However, given his record at SW19 and against these players overall his path to the final looks more than achievable and the only thing that looks like it may stop him winning a ninth title is injury.

Fifth seed Del Potro has looked in great shape winning his first two matches in straight sets. Apart from Nadal and Djokovic he has the best Grand Slam pedigree of all the players in the bottom half of the draw. He’s a former semi-finalist and came within a whisker of reaching the final when he lost to Djokovic in five sets back in 2013 and he also won Olympic Gold at the 2012 Olympics when Wimbledon was the venue. While he’s not quite at the same level when he achieved these results, he’s been steadily improving over the last twelve months as his making the semi-finals at last year’s US Open then this year winning Indian Wells, making the semi-finals at Miami and at the French Open prove.

If he continues to improve as the tournament progresses then he could potentially face Nadal at the quarter final stage. Nadal’s record at Wimbledon in recent years is not great, which improves Del Potro’s chances of gaining revenge for his one-sided French Open semi-final loss against Nadal this year. If they do meet Del Potro will have a better chance of winning on this occasion because the surface is quicker, which plays to his strengths, and it’s likely Nadal will not be at the same physical peak as he was at the French Open and this further improves his chances, especially over five sets.

Twelfth seed Djokovic looked like he might be emerging as a serious contender, but he picked up what looked like a left thigh or groin strain towards the end of his match against Zeballos yesterday, which he received treatment for on court. We must now wait to find out what the severity of the injury is, and this will be revealed when he plays his third round match against British number one Edmunds or American qualifier Klahn tomorrow.

Fifteenth seed Kyrgios (advised 20/1) is still in contention and reports suggest he’s enjoying playing, he’s serving like a demon and his all round game is looking sharp and solid. Obviously, the main concern is his temperament and the big test will come when he starts to face better players who can put him under sustained pressure. However, if he stays fit, continues to serve well and keeps improving as the tournament progresses, he’s going to prove a handful for any player he faces.

From a third round match betting perspective, veterans Mannarino and Ebden are playing well enough on grass at present to beat Medvedev and veteran Simon today. They both lead their respective head-to-heads 2-0, which improves their chances of success, and their wins all came on quick surfaces at main ATP tournaments within the last three years, including Mannarino’s straight sets win on grass against Medvedev at s-Hertogenbosch back in 2016.

Selections:

Tournament betting

Raonic - Second Quarter Winner (10/11)

Match betting

Double (3.85)

Mannarino to beat Medvedev

Ebden to beat Simon