Sinner J. vs Safiullin R. Preview and Betting Tips

🥎 ATP Singles Wimbledon Predictions

⏰ 11 July 2023 - 23:30 AEST

🌿 Surface - Grass

🏟 Location - London, United Kingdom

Jannik Sinner appears to have the smoothest path to the semifinals in this year's Wimbledon, but he tends to make things more complicated than necessary. He trailed the inexperienced (on grass) Quentin Halys by a set in the third round and looked in big trouble during the second set of his round-of-16 match against the out-of-form Daniel Elahi Galan.

Despite a few uncertain moments, the Italian managed to reach the quarterfinals at the Grand Slam level once again. Nonetheless, the real challenge awaits him from this point onward. It is worth noting that he has never progressed beyond the quarterfinals in any Grand Slam tournament and currently holds a 0-4 record at this stage.

In his defence, all of his previous four quarterfinal losses were against top-5 players, and he came agonizingly close to securing victories in the last two quarterfinals. At Wimbledon 2022, he held a two-set lead against the eventual champion, Novak Djokovic. Similarly, a few months later at the US Open, he had a match point (on serve) in the fourth set against the eventual champion, Carlos Alcaraz.

Not only in Grand Slam tournaments but the world #8 has also faced difficulties in overcoming the quarterfinal hurdle in ATP events in recent years. In 2022 alone, he lost eight out of the ten quarterfinal matches played across all levels. That being said, he has shown improvement this year in 2023, winning five out of eight such matches, and he is now set to make his first quarterfinal appearance in Grand Slam tournaments this season.

Roman Safiullin capitalized on favourable circumstances to achieve a remarkable quarterfinal result at Wimbledon. None of the four opponents he has faced thus far exhibited any form or momentum leading into the tournament. Moreover, his most recent opponent, Denis Shapovalov, experienced physical struggles during their round-of-16 encounter, further easing the path for the Russian.

The 25-year-old missed out on a potential opportunity to earn prize money at last year's Wimbledon due to the ban imposed on all Russian players for political reasons. Additionally, he failed to sign up for the qualifying stages at this year's French Open, resulting in missed ranking points and prize money opportunities. However, he has now made up for those disappointments by achieving a remarkable result during this fortnight, which has propelled him into the top 50 of the live rankings for the first time.

Safiullin achieving such unexpected results should not be a surprise. The real surprise would be if he manages to do it consistently, as that is what he currently lacks to become a permanent fixture in the top 50. He has already demonstrated his considerable potential in the early stages of 2022. During the ATP Cup, in the absence of prominent Russian players, he performed admirably well. Furthermore, he caused an upset by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas on his path to the semifinals at ATP Marseille.

📋 Head-to-head: Jannik Sinner leads 1-0 (7-6 6-3 at the ATP Cup 2022). While both players possess the talent and skills to deliver captivating tennis on any given day, the Italian is considered to be significantly more solid and dependable. Consequently, he is viewed as the clear favourite in this matchup. However, it is worth noting that his performance in the first half of the match against Daniel Elahi Galan was rather lacklustre, and it is imperative for him to avoid replicating that level of play against Roman Safiullin, who is considerably more formidable in these conditions compared to the Colombian.