Wimbledon 2022: Alex de Minaur vs Liam Broady preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match details
Fixture: (19) Alex de Minaur vs Liam Broady
Date: July 2, 2022.
Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon.
Round: Third Round (Round of 32).
Venue: London, Great Britain.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: £40,350,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Alex de Minaur vs Liam Broady preview
19th seed Alex de Minaur will take on wildcard Liam Broady in the third round of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships on Saturday, setting up an eagerly-awaited clash in front of Broady's home fans.
De Minaur has recreated his best ever run at SW19, going past the first two rounds for the first time since 2018. While grass is not the Australian's preferred surface, he has looked good so far in this year's tournament, digging deep to beat Hugo Dellien and Jack Draper.
While the 6-1, 6-3, 7-5 victory against Dellien was rather straight-forward, the World No. 27 had to claw his way back from a set down against Draper to win 5-7, 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-3 in over three hours.
The 23-year-old looked menacing on serve, knocking out 14 aces and winning 78% (61/78) of his first serve points. His return game was also on point against the Brit, scoring almost 50% (19/39) of return points on his opponent's second serve and breaking his serve six times over the course of four sets.
Liam Broady, meanwhile, has been on a dream run of his own at SW19, defeating Lukas Klein and 12th seed Diego Schwartzman in marathon five-setters back-to-back to reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time ever.
After the 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(2), 6-3 win against Klein that lasted well over three hours, the World No. 132 hung in there for almost four hours to dispose of Schwartzman 6-2, 4-6, 0-6, 7-6(6), 6-1.
Arguably the biggest win of the 28-year-old's career, Broady won 64% of his first serve points (72/112) and more than half of his second serve points (21/39). On the return, he did not do so well, winning only five of 14 break points.
Alex de Minaur vs Liam Broady head-to-head
Alex de Minaur and Liam Broady have met once on the ATP tour before, where the Australian won 6-3, 6-4 at the 2021 Eastbourne International. With the meeting taking place on grass too, de Minaur will come into the contest with a confidence-inspiring 1-0 lead in the head-to-head over the Brit.
Alex de Minaur vs Liam Broady odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Alex de Minaur vs Liam Broady prediction
Alex de Minaur and Liam Broady are guaranteed to give the Wimbledon crowd a very grueling spectacle full of long rallies and unexpected gets, but in the end, the Australian remains likelier to book his spot in the next round.
For starters, Broady's body has been stretched to the maximum in both of his previous clashes, while de Minaur is relatively fresher compared to him. Even though Broady displayed his perseverance against Schwartzman, one of the most determined fighters in men's tennis at the moment, it will be even harder in his current state against the 19th seed.
De Minaur's serve is likely to cause the 28-year-old the most trouble, something he did not experience as much against Schwartzman. On the other hand, the 23-year-old neutralized the big-serving Jack Draper's serve to a large extent, proving that his return game has become much more refined and that he is tactically far more adaptive at SW19 this year.
While the Brit will most definitely make life hard for the World No. 27, de Minaur's superior court coverage and all-round playstyle should be enough to secure him a place in the Round of 16.
Pick: Alex de Minaur to win in four sets.