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Match Details
Fixture: (3) Carlos Alcaraz vs. Mark Lajal
Date: Monday, July 1, 2024
Tournament: Wimbledon 2024
Round: First-round (Round of 128)
Venue: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, England, United Kingdom
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Grass
Prize Money: £50,000,000
Live Telecast: USA - ESPN & Tennis Channel | UK - BBC | Canada - TSN, RDS, & ESPN International | India - Star Network
Carlos Alcaraz vs. Mark Lajal preview
Third seed Carlos Alcaraz will open his title defense against Estonian youngster Mark Lajal in the opening round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships on Monday, July 1, 2024.
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Alcaraz might have had a subdued start to the year by his lofty standard, but he turned everything around with a historic run to the French Open title, beating Alexander Zverev in a five-set epic 6-2, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.
Alcaraz opened his grasscourt swing at the 2024 cinch Championships as the defending champion and began with a routine 6-1, 7-5 win over Francisco Cerundolo in his opener. Home favorite Jack Draper shocked him in the subsequent round, however, dumping him in straight sets 7-6 (3), 6-3.
Lajal, on the contrary, is set to play his first main draw match of the year. He kicked off his Wimbledon campaign in the qualifiers with an impressive comeback victory against Francesco Passaro in the opening round, sealing it three sets 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.
Lajal then coasted through his second-round encounter against Henrique Rocha in straight sets 7-6 (3), 6-3. Up against fourth seed James Duckworth in the final round of qualifying, the Estonian youngster played some of the best tennis of his life en route to an emphatic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory and a ticket to his first-ever Grand Slam main draw match.
Carlos Alcaraz vs. Mark Lajal head-to-head
Carlos Alcaraz and Mark Lajal are yet to face off in professional competition, so their head-to-head currently is 0-0.
Carlos Alcaraz vs. Mark Lajal odds
(Odds sourced from BetMGM)
Carlos Alcaraz vs. Mark Lajal prediction
Carlos Alcaraz might have had a disappointing campaign in Queen's, but we can best be sure that he enters Wimbledon in the best possible form. He's looked great on serve all year and will look to continue in the same rich vein of form on the grass. His incredible net play that helped him heaps last year, will also be a force to be reckoned with. He looks in prime position overall to defend his title.
Mark Lajal, meanwhile, will be playing just his sixth career match (2-3) and the first this season when he goes up against Alcaraz. He was put to these in the first round of the qualifiers, but he displayed some of his finest tennis in the following two rounds.
Lajal has been brilliant on serve and was broken just once across all three matches in qualifying. He averaged 85.5% points won on his first serve and 62.5% points won behind his second serve across his last two encounters. He's been the aggressor in most instances and that has paid dividends.
Alcaraz enters the contest as the firm favorite but we can have a thrilling on hand contest if Lajal continues playing the same way. While he may not have enough to get him over the line, he can certainly give Alcaraz a tough run for his money.
Pick: Alcaraz in straight sets.
