Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Wimbledon match.
Billy Harris, born not far from London in Nottingham, will face the experienced Dušan Lajović. Judging by the odds, the British player is expected to benefit from the home crowd support.
Billy Harris
The Serb is celebrating his birthday today — he turns 35. Lajović approaches this milestone ranked 118th in the world, with a losing record of 4-11 this season and no matches played on grass. In June, he chose to compete on clay at Challenger level, as the main tour events on this surface had ended. It was easier to go deep there. At the ATP Challenger in Sassuolo, Lajović reached the final but lost to Carlos Taberner (ranked 130th).
Billy Harris
Billy Harris made full use of the grass-court warm-up events ahead of Wimbledon. He played every week, starting with Challengers in Birmingham and Ilkley, where he didn’t get past the second round. Instead of choosing the event in his native Nottingham, he went for the more prestigious Queen’s Club. In London, the 30-year-old Brit was immediately stopped by Gabriel Diallo (1:6, 6:3, 4:6). His form finally came together in Eastbourne last week, where Harris lost twice. First, he fell in the final round of qualifying, but then entered the main draw as a lucky loser. Harris made the most of the opportunity: he reached the quarter-final, taking out higher-ranked compatriot Cameron Norrie (6:4, 6:4) along the way.
Billy Harris vs Dušan Lajović Prediction
Dušan Lajović will struggle to adapt to grass right away, and Billy Harris has found his form. Yes, the Serb has a much stronger forehand, but one weapon alone is not enough, which is why the Brit is rightly seen as the favourite.