Wimbledon - Schnur v Baghdatis

Brayden Schnur will be a name new to many – a young Canadian who has reached the first round proper of a Grand Slam for the first time. He’s attempted to qualify for four previously – twice in Australia, and once each at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows. When I say “reached” it’s probably fair to note that he lost in final round qualifying last week– going down 6-3 6-2 6-1 to Salvatore Caruso, before being fast-tracked into the main draw as a Lucky Loser after the withdrawal of Borna Coric.

Schnur is a quicker court player – in fact, he hasn’t seen a single clay court over the past two seasons, but he is still finding his way at the top level and his record against Top 100 players over the past two seasons is just 4-8. Over those 12 matches he’s won 61.6% of service points and 31% of receiving points (combined 92.6%).

The experienced Marcos Baghdatis stands in his way in the first round, and the Cypriot player has progressed from the 1st round in six of the past eight years. His two season record against top 100 players stands up to scrutiny – 8-13 is respectable enough, but his 62.3% winning service rate and 38.6% return points won combined to a much more impressive 100.9%. Over his career he has played almost 70 matches on grass, and a further 110 on indoor hard courts, so he knows what it takes to get the job done on the slicker quicker surfaces.

Experience should prevail in this one in my view. Perhaps it would be a different story in 12 months time, but for now, let’s get with the Cypriot.

2pts Baghdatis to beat Schnur at evens (General)

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