One of the highlights of Wimbledon's Saturday order of play comes from the men's draw as popular duo Matteo Berrettini and Grigor Dimitrov meet for a place in the fourth round at the All England Club.
Both men have struggled to cope with the rigours of the ATP World Tour in recent seasons, requiring long spells on the sidelines with various injuries, but both have been in good form on grass and will be eyeing a deep run from a wide-open bottom half of the men's draw.
Berrettini saw off Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka in round one before accounting for exciting Frenchman Arthur Fils, both in four sets, while Dimitrov came through in straight sets against Dane Sweeny before a four-set underdog victory over 15th seed Jakub Mensik in round two.
Dimitrov is a narrow outsider again at 11/10, with Berrettini 8/11 to progress to the fourth round, where he would meet either Belgium's Zizou Bergs or British wildcard Arthur Fery.
Grigor Dimitrov v Matteo Berrettini Tips Summary
Best Bet – Matteo Berrettini to win & both players to win a set @ 13/8
Alternative Bet – Over 1.5 Total Tie Breaks in Match @ 6/4
Bet Builder – Berrettini to win the match, 20+ aces for Berrettini, Over 41.5 games @ 9/2
Grigor Dimitrov v Matteo Berrettini Prediction
Best Bet: Matteo Berrettini to win & both players to win a set @ 13/8
Grigor Dimitrov and Matteo Berrettini have shaken off fitness concerns to set up what is, somewhat surprisingly, only their third career meeting and a first on the Wimbledon grass.
Dimitrov has been working his way back to form ever since a pectoral injury forced him to retire when two sets up on Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon a year ago, while Berrettini suffered a similar fate when a hip problem led to retirement in last month's French Open.
They split their only previous clashes, both in 2019 in Monte Carlo and Vienna, and the odds suggest that there is not much between them once again.
However, while Dimitrov's second-round win over Jakub Mensik looks impressive on paper, his opponent was unable to make the most of his chances, losing a first-set tiebreak from 4-1 up and winning just two of 15 break points.
Dimitrov had won just four tour-level matches this year before arriving at Wimbledon, whereas Berrettini was a genuine title contender before injury intervened at Roland Garros, and he is a better player on grass, where his huge serve and powerful groundstrokes are seen to best effect.
The Italian, who was beaten in four sets by Novak Djokovic in the 2021 Wimbledon final, described his first-round win over the retiring Wawrinka as a match "he would remember for the rest of his life" and he exuded positivity in his post-match interview after beating dangerous Frenchman Fils.
The 30-year-old is clearly in an excellent frame of mind and he should outgun Dimitrov, although both his previous matches have gone beyond a third set and that pattern could be repeated in round three.
Alternative Bet: Over 1.5 Total Tie Breaks in Match @ 6/4
Both men have been serving well at Wimbledon and it's no great surprise to see a tiebreak in the match priced up as an odds-on shot.
As a value alternative, it could pay to chance two or more tiebreaks at more enticing odds.
That bet landed with ease in Berrettini's opener against Wawrinka, in which all four sets went the distance, while Dimitrov went to a tiebreak in his wins over Sweeny and Mensik.
It would be wrong to read too much into the form of their previous matches, but Berrettini also won 7-6 7-6 in their autumn 2019 meeting in Austria.
Grigor Dimitrov v Matteo Berrettini Bet Builder Tip
Matteo Berrettini to win the match
20+ aces for Matteo Berrettini
Over 41.5 games
Pays @ 9/2
Berrettini will be setting his sights on a deep run at Wimbledon and the Italian should have the edge over Dimitrov, who has struggled to make an impact in tour-level competition this season.
Berrettini thundered in 29 aces in his win over Wawrinka and 16 against Fils, and there should be much more to come against Dimitrov, who was aced 31 times by Mensik and has never been a particularly strong returner.
A close, long match is anticipated and, with over 0.5 tiebreaks an odds-on shot, there is every chance that a 41.5-game total games line will be breached.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Match Stats
Matteo Berrettini has won his last six completed matches
Berrettini has a 14-6 career win-loss record at Wimbledon
Berrettini averaged 22.5 aces across his first two matches
Grigor Dimitrov has won just two matches against top-60 players this year
Dimitrov has been to the fourth round in each of the last three Wimbledons
Dimitrov saved 13 of 15 break points in his second-round win over Jakub Mensik
Read more tennis betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
