Betdistrict.com
Viktor Troicki will take on the man of the moment, Dustin Brown, in the Wimbledon 3rd round.
Troicki had a solid week so far, nothing special, but good and consistent play to defeat Nedovyesov and Bedene, both with a 3-1 scoreline. His level of tennis has been good throughout the grass court season, as he also reached the final at Stuttgart (lost to Nadal) and the semifinals at Queens (lost to Murray). He did lose in the Nottingham 2nd round against Stakhovsky, but that probably had more to do with fatigue and overall lack of motivation between two long weeks (Queens, Halle) and Wimbledon.
Brown’s name is on everyone’s lips as the flamboyand German-Jamaican defeated Nadal in 4 sets. It was a vintage serve & volley display by Dustin – who destroyed Rafa with offensive tennis, powerful groundstrokes, drop shots, lobs, the whole package. However, it has to be said that Rafa played really, really poor tennis. The German didn’t have a good grass court season so far (surprisingly), but he did play great and consistent here at SW 19, passing qualifications without losing a set and beating Lu in the first round 3-1.
Bet on Troicki vs. Brown at Betsson and claim your 25 Euro welcome bonus now!
The Head 2 Head between the two players is 1-1, two meetings at challenger level last year. None of them was on grass. Both players like the green, but while Troicki is accomplished on the surface, Brown is one of the very few true grass court experts left in the game.
Brown`s win against Nadal was superb and the German deserves all the credit, but people are forgetting one thing – the Spaniard played absolutely dreadful. It was unbelievable really, Rafa wasn`t able to sustain rallies, 90% of his balls were in the middle of the court, his serve was atrocious and I never saw him missing so many passing shots. Also, Brown`s style is clearly a nightmare for Nadal, as Dustin also ruined him last year in Halle.
Call me crazy, but even if Brown replicates the performance he put on against Rafa, I don`t know if it would be enough against Troicki. And obviously it`s highly unlikely that he will manage to replicate it. Two years ago he beat Lleyton Hewitt and proceeded to be demolished by Mannarino in the next round. With Brown`s style, it`s extremely hard for him to put together two top class performances in a row, there`s just no margin for error.
As much as I would love the spectacular Brown to keep the run going and show us more of that vintage, virtually extinct tennis, I reckon his win over Nadal is way overrated and Troicki’s consistency, form and confidence will prove to be too much. My tip on this one is a Troicki win. Prediction: Viktor Troicki – Dustin Brown 7-6 3-6 6-2 6-4.
Wimbledon 2015 live streaming for all matches available for players at Bet365.com.
Pick: Troicki
Odds: 1.59 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 7
Possible profit: 4.13
Event date: 4 July
