19th seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov was severely undercooked going into his Wimbledon opener (he hadn’t played a competitive match since injury ended his French Open campaign).
2025 ATP Tour
Grand Slam Tennis
Wimbledon Tennis Championships
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, England (Outdoor Grass-court)
Selected 2nd Round Matches- 3rd July
Grigor Dimitrov (19) vs Corentin Moutet
19th seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov was severely undercooked going into his Wimbledon opener (he hadn’t played a competitive match since injury ended his French Open campaign). Dimitrov never missed a beat, thrashing Yishioka 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in a textbook display of grass-court tennis. Dimtirov fired 26 aces and won a staggering 96% of his first-serve points. Dimitrov has picked up solid results this campaign, reaching the semifinals in Miami and the quarters in Monte-Carlo. The former Queen’s champ and Wimbledon semifinalist clearly has the game to compete on grass (he has reached the 4th round here in each of the last two seasons). He will mix things up, alternating between big forehands and that knifed backhand slice. 26-year-old Frenchman Corentine Moutet was similarly impressive in his Wimbledon opener, easing past Comesana 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. The French trickster has been in irrepressible mood during the grass-court swing, flummoxing players with his unorthodox style and riling some up with his abrasive attitude. Moutet produced one of the biggest upsets of his career in Queen’s, taking out 3rd seed Taylor Fritz. He then went on to reach his 2nd career ATP final in Mallorca, narrowly going down to Griekspoor in the final.
The Verdict: Moutet to win in four at – Moutet leads the head-to-head 2-0, coming back from two sets down when they met on these surfaces back in 2019. I think that Moutet is a nightmare early opponent. His unconventional use of underarm serves and drop-shots could catch Dimitrov a little cold (especially when you consider his recent injury issues). I also think that Dimitrov’s backhand slice will be less effective against arch-hustler Moutet.
Jack Draper (4) 0.08 vs Marin Cilic 6.6
Things couldn’t have started more swimmingly for current British sensation Jack Draper. The 4th seeded lefty looked in utter control during his first-round match with clay-court specialist Sebastian Baez, leading 6-2, 6-2, 2-1 before the Argentine tapped out due to injury. Draper bullied Baez, winning 93% of his first-serve points and forcing the Argentine into an incredible 27 errors (in just over two sets of tennis). A US Open semifinalist last year, Draper has shown that he has what it takes to go deep in a slam. He won at Indian Wells earlier this year and will be a red-hot favourite to reach the 3rd round here for the first time in his career. Next up for the British hopeful is veteran grass-court specialist Marin Cilic. The 36-year-old Croat was ranked 777th in the world when he won last year’s Hangzhou Open, becoming the lowest-ranked player to win a title since the ranking system’s introduction. He clawed his way back into the top 100 this year, picking up Challenger titles in Girona and (crucially) Nottingham. Cilic improved his current grass-court winning streak to six matches with an emphatic straight-sets win over Raphael Collignon. The former Wimbledon finalist has three grass-court titles to his name (he reached the quarterfinals or better here in four successive years from 2014-2017). Cilic will look to play the pantomime villain here, using that big-serve and forehand combo to his advantage.
The Verdict: Draper to win in four sets at 2.15– This will be their first career meeting. Draper should have too much firepower for the wily Croat. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if Cilic manages to sneak one set courtesy of that formidable serve. He is on a solid grass-court winning streak and Draper has to be mindful of that.
Gael Monfils vs Marton Fucsovics
38-year-old Frenchman Gael Monfils defied poor grass-court form- both recent and historical- to somehow edge his way past fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert in an epic first-round clash. Monfils had to draw on all his experience against Humbert, hitting 70 winners to 43 unforced errors over five hard-fought sets. Monfils went for broke on serve as the match progressed, firing 28 aces to 15 double-faults. Monfils- who may very well be playing here for the final time- will need to recuperate quickly as he comes up against fellow ironman Marton Fucsovics. 33-year-old Fucsovics- once considered the fittest man in the sport- has struggled to maintain a high level in recent seasons. He has shown ability on these courts in the past, picking up a career-best Grand Slam quarterfinal run here back in 2021. He showed some promise at the recent BOSS Open, going down to Fritz in the quarterfinals. The Hungarian also needed five sets in his opener, holding off a spirted fightback from American Aleksandar Kovacevic.
The Verdict: Monfils to win in five at – Monfils leads the head-to-head 3-1. However, the Hungarian won their most recent meeting at last year’s Estoril Open. Everything is pointing to this match going all the way: both of these guys love indulgent five-set matches. Monfils has looked to be much more aggressive in recent years and that could give him the edge in five.
