By Tony Fairbairn, Britwatch Sports at Wimbledon
- Alexander Zverev [3] v Arthur Rinderknech
- McCartney Kessler [32] v Marketa Vondrousova
- Taylor Fritz [5] v Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
LONDON, ENGLAND – Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz are projected to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals but will need to overcome tough first round matches in order to keep that showdown alive.
Alexander Zverev [3] v Arthur Rinderknech H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Alexander Zverev [3] v Arthur Rinderknech | H2H: First Meeting |
| Wimbledon 2025 | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £66,000 |
| Third on Centre Court (17:30 BST) | Across BBC iPlayer & Red Button |
Grass has never been kind to Alexander Zverev. However, the German will be hoping that changes this year and he has good reason to think that may be the case this year having scored some good results in Stuttgart and Halle. Although Zverev hasn’t won a title at either of those tournaments, the German will be encouraged that his serve and baseline game is translating well on grass. Now Zverev has his sights set on producing his best tennis when it matters most as he targets a career best result at Wimbledon.
The first big obstacle for Zverev is big-serving Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech. Despite some up and down results this year, Rinderknech will take a lot of positives from his opening round defeat to Jannik Sinner at Roland Garros. Now Rinderknech is targeting some big results at this year’s Wimbledon with the Frenchman believing that his game will translate well on grass. The question is whether Rinderknech has the mental and tactical consistency to secure the results to match the performances.
Zverev will look to maintain a high first serve percentage while using depth on the backhand to isolate Rinderknech at the back of the court. Meanwhile Rinderknech will need to be aggressive on the backhand as he will look to finish off points at the net. This should be a stern test for Zverev with Rinderknech expected to have some success against the German. However, Zverev should have enough consistency and power to edge into the second round.
Prediction: Zverev in four sets.
McCartney Kessler [32] v Marketa Vondrousova H2H & Match Fundamentals
| McCartney Kessler [32] v Marketa Vondrousova | H2H: First Meeting |
| Wimbledon 2025 | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £66,000 |
| Fourth on Court 12 (17:30 BST) | Across BBC iPlayer & Red Button |
There is a huge amount of depth in women’s tennis in America but there are not a lot of people talking about McCartney Kessler. The 25 year-old may prefer it that way and she certainly isn’t complaining with the results having achieved deep results at multiple tournaments with her consistent power causing problems for the world’s top players. That was no different at Nottingham when she claimed the title to lay down another marker and now looks to continue her breakthrough at Wimbledon.
In order to achieve that breakthrough, Kessler will have to get through former champion Marketa Vondrousova. It was last year when Vondrousova became the first player for 30 years to lose her opening round match as defending champion. Now Vondrousova seems refreshed to mount a title charge with her mix of variety and power securing a much needed title in Berlin. That will give her confidence as she will believe she can beat anyone to secure a second Wimbledon title.
Kessler will remain solid on the backhand and will look to be attacking on the second serve return. Meanwhile Vondrousova will use the slice to keep the ball low while taking the forehand early to rush the American’s baseline game. This will be a competitive match between two in-form players but Vondrousova’s variety and past successes on grass should give her the advantage especially in the big points.
Prediction: Vondrousova in three sets.
Taylor Fritz [5] v Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Taylor Fritz [5] v Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard | H2H: First Meeting |
| Wimbledon 2025 | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £66,000 |
| Fourth on No.2 Court (16:30 BST) | Across BBC iPlayer & Red Button |
After a disappointing season for Taylor Fritz, the American has responded in fine fashion by winning eight consecutive matches to claim titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne. A big serve and aggressive forehands means Fritz is an effective player on this surface and is looking to back up his quarter-final performance from last year. The question is whether this is Fritz’s limit to his potential or if he can actually contend for the title at Wimbledon?
That will be put to the test against big-serving and aggressive Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. It was last year at Wimbledon when Mpetshi Perricard broke through and has gone from strength to strength since then as he has used his explosive backhand to rip winners through the court. However, the Frenchman has lacked the consistency needed to make a real impact at the Grand Slams and will now hope that he can change his fortunes with a big upset at Wimbledon.
Fritz will look to be aggressive on serve while using his backhand to rush Mpetshi Perricard’s backhand to force errors. Meanwhile Mpetshi Perricard will use the backhand to force Fritz behind the baseline and will come to the net to finish points off efficiently. This will be a high-quality contest with Mpetshi Perricard expected to take advantage of Fritz’s potential fatigue. However, Fritz should have enough consistent quality and stability to seal his place into the second round at Wimbledon.
Prediction: Fritz in four sets.
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