By Jacob Atkinson
- Yulia Putintseva v Jelena Ostapenko [13]
- Novak Djokovic [2] v Holger Rune [15]
- Alexander Zverev [4] v Taylor Fritz [13]
WIMBLEDON, UK – After taking down the world number one, Iga Swiatek, Yulia Putintseva will take on Jelena Ostapenko in the round of 16.
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Yulia Putintseva v Jelena Ostapenko [13] | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Yulia Putintseva v Jelena Ostapenko [13] | H2H: Tied at 2-2 |
| Wimbledon 2024 | Wimbledon, UK |
| Grass | Prize Money: £226,000 |
| Second on Court One (15:30 BST) | BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Red Button and BBC iPlayer |
Yulia Putintseva took down the world number one, Iga Swiatek, in the third round to make it one of the biggest wins in her entire career. The Kazakh came from a set down to win 3-6, 6-1 6-2 to extend her win streak to eight matches and ending Swiatek’s own streak at 21. The unseeded player was the clear underdog going into the tie as the formidable Pole has been the favourite to win Wimbledon since day one of the competition.
As for Jelena Ostapenko, the 13th seed has performed exceptionally throughout the first week at SW19, breezing past anyone who gets in her way. Her last match was against Bernarda Pera who had beaten Caroline Garcia in the round prior. This game however was over quickly with the Latvian taking down the American in a 6-1, 6-3 straight set thrashing.
The pair haven’t faced off since Indian Wells in 2021 where Ostapenko beat Putintseva in three sets. Both players will be heading into the tie with bundles of confidence; Putintseva off the back of a huge win, and Ostapenko yet to drop a set and on a solid win streak. Most would still have Ostapenko as the favourite, but as we all saw from the last round it seems any outcome is on the cards so there is a definite uncertainty around the matchup.
Ostapenko will likely try to impose her game early, hitting with depth and pace to keep Putintseva on the defensive. Conversely, Putintseva will aim to neutralize Ostapenko’s power, using her defensive skills to extend rallies and create openings through counterpunching.
Prediction: Ostapenko in three sets.
Novak Djokovic [2] v Holger Rune [15] | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Novak Djokovic [2] v Holger Rune [15] | H2H: Djokovic leads 3-2 |
| Wimbledon 2024 | Wimbledon, UK |
| Grass | Prize Money: £226,000 |
| Third on Centre Court (17:30 BST) | BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Red Button and BBC iPlayer |
Novak Djokovic continued to shock us all as he took down Alexei Popyrin in the round of 32 on Saturday. The seven-time Wimbledon champion came back from a set down against the Australian to eventually win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 and resumes his bid to win a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title.
Holger Rune’s third round was composed of sheer grit and fight as he went all the way to five sets with the world number 220, Quentin Halys. The Dane initially went two sets down but managed to come back and win 1-6, 7-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-1 to survive an extremely tough test. Succeeding against Djokovic in the next round will be a difficult ask as the 15th seed will need time to recover and recuperate to have a good chance.
In the short time Rune has been on the tour he has already come up against the former world number one on five occasions, winning just two of them. Their last two meetings have gone the way of Djokovic but only by the skin of his teeth as Rune is a difficult opponent when he is on the top of his game.
The match pits the experience and dominance of Djokovic against the youthful exuberance and rising talent of Rune, making it one of the most anticipated showdowns of the tournament so far. Expect a high-intensity match characterized by Djokovic’s strategic play and Rune’s fearless approach.
Djokovic will likely rely on his consistency, defensive prowess, and ability to change the pace to disrupt Rune’s rhythm. He’ll aim to capitalize on his return game to put pressure on Rune’s serve and force errors.
Prediction: Novak Djokovic in five sets.
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Alexander Zverev [4] v Taylor Fritz [13] | H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Alexander Zverev [4] v Taylor Fritz [13] | H2H: Zverev leads 5-3 |
| Wimbledon 2024 | Wimbledon, UK |
| Grass | Prize Money: £226,000 |
| Second on Centre Court (15:00 BST) | BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Red Button and BBC iPlayer |
Alexander Zverev had to work hard to book his date with Taylor Fritz in the round of 16, with Cameron Norrie refusing to give up in their third and final set. The German won the first two sets 6-4, 6-4, but the third went to a tiebreak that Norrie was holding onto for as long as he could. Eventually Zverev broke through Norrie’s wall of determination to win the tiebreak 17-15 and move onto the next round.
Fritz also faced a difficult opponent in the third round in Alejandro Tabilo. The American had to play a high level of tennis to make it through, as Tabilo has been one of them most in-form players on the tour this season. After a tight tiebreak in the first set, Fritz powered on and broke the Chilean down with his intelligent baseline play. Eventually the match finished 7-6, 6-3, 7-5, with the 13th seed securing his spot in the round of 16.
Expect a hard-hitting match characterized by powerful serves and aggressive baseline rallies. Fritz will likely aim to use his serve and forehand to put Zverev on the defensive, while Zverev will look to exploit his own serve and groundstrokes to dictate play.
The outcome may hinge on who can better manage their serve and handle the pressure during critical points. Both players have the potential to turn the match in their favour with a few key plays, making this encounter a likely thriller.
Prediction: Zverev in five sets.
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