Wimbledon 2024: De Minaur, Popyrin advance as seeds tumble

Upsets flowed on day four of Wimbledon, with Jack Draper, Hubert Hurkacz and Stefanos Tsitsipas all falling in the second round at the All England Club on Thursday night and Friday morning (AEST).

Draper squared off against fellow Brit Cam Norrie in what was a fascinating clash between an up-and-coming young gun and a seasoned veteran.

Experienced weighed out, with Norrie playing his best tennis in months to dismiss the No.28 seed 7-6 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (6). Draper had been holding the sixth line of betting at tennis bookies to win the tournament outright.

Hurkacz’s experience could not help him against young Frenchman Arthur Fils, who upset the No.7 seed 7-6 (2), 6-4, 2-6, 6-6 (ret).

Fils handled the Pole’s big serve well, keeping his first-serve win rate to just 71%. Hurkacz eventually retired late in the match due to a knee injury suffered while diving.

For two-time Grand Slam finalist Tsitsipas, his upset came at the hands of the mercurial Emil Ruusuvuori. The No.11 seed was outplayed by the Finn despite striking 20 aces and 51 winners total across the match.

De Minaur and Popyrin win, heartbreak for Walton and Kokkinakis

Australians Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin picked up good wins on day four of Wimbledon as well.

The No.9 seed de Minaur raced past Spaniard Jaume Munar, losing just nine games as he booked his place in the third round. He’ll play French qualifier Lucas Pouille on Saturday.

Pouille had defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis, who was unable to replicate his efforts from earlier in the tournament, retiring at 5-2 down in the third set with the match level at a set apiece.

Popyrin had to work a bit harder for his win. The Aussie went the distance against No.30 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry, edging the Argentinian in the fifth set.
He now faces a daunting challenge in the third round: seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.

Meanwhile, Adam Walton failed to mirror Popyrin’s heroics. The 25-year-old fell in an epic to Federico Comesana, 7-5, 1-6, 6-7 (14), 6-1, 7-6 (8).

Alcaraz, Sinner and Djokovic still lead Wimbledon odds

These results have not impacted tennis bookmakers’ outright betting odds, at least at the top of the market.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner still lead the odds to win Wimbledon. The pair sit neck-and-neck on $2.75, with Djokovic behind on $4.33.

However, the losses of Draper and Hurkacz have shuffled up the remaining betting lines. Alexander Zverev now sits fourth on $11, while de Minaur ($17) and Taylor Fritz ($23) are next.

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is a big mover as well. The Frenchman is still a huge underdog but has improved from $501 to $101 thanks to his 71-minute victory in round two.

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