Wimbledon 2023: Alexander Zverev vs Yosuke Watanuki preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (19) Alexander Zverev vs (LL) Yosuke Watanuki

Date: July 7, 2023

Tournament: Wimbledon 2023

Round: Second Round (Round of 32)

Venue: London, United Kingdom

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Grass

Prize money: £44,700,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | Canada - TSN & RDS | UK - BBC & Eurosport | India - Star Sports

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Alexander Zverev vs Yosuke Watanuki preview

Zverev is into the second round.

19th seed Alexander Zverev takes on lucky loser Yosuke Watanuki as a place in the Wimbledon third round beckons.

Originally scheduled to play his opener on Tuesday, World No. 21 Zverev only took the court on Thursday as rain continues to wreak havoc in the first week of the grasscourt Major.

Nevertheless, Zverev produced a good performance in his first-round clash against qualifier Gijs Brouwer. The German drew first blood, taking the first set for the loss of four games.

However, Brouwer produced a sterner challenge in the next set, taking Zverev to a tiebreak before the German surged ahead by two sets. It was more of the same story in the third as another tiebreak ensued. Zverev, though, ensured that he crossed the finish line in straight sets to improve to 25-16 on the season.

Having made the fourth round in his last appearance in 2021, the German is now 12-6 at SW19.

Meanwhile, the 116th-ranked Watanuki faced a far tougher first-round contest against Marc-Andrea Huesler, finding himself two sets down. However, the Japanese lucky loser was not ready to throw the towel, digging deep.

He took the next two sets in tiebreaks to force a decider, where he dropped just three games to improve to 5-5 on the season and in the process, marked his Wimbledon debut with a win.

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Alexander Zverev vs Yosuke Watanuki head-to-head

The two players haven't played each other before, so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.

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Alexander Zverev vs Yosuke Watanuki odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over/under)
Alexander Zverev
Yosuke Watanuki

The odds will be updated when they release.

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Alexander Zverev vs Yosuke Watanuki prediction

Watanuki is making his Wimbledon debut.

Both Zverev and Watanuki are quintessential baseliners, but the similarities in their game styles end there.

Zverev is a big server, powerful hitter off both flanks and moves remarkably well for his height. Watanuki, meanwhile, has more modest weapons and is largely a counterpuncher.

Moreover, the German edges Watanuki because of his superior experience, consistency and pedigree, especially on grass, where he has a 32-17 record, while Watanuki is only 3-1.

Considering the same, Zverev should have a comfortable win.

Pick: Zverev in straight sets