Wimbledon news & multi betting tips for Wednesday, July 5

IT took only a few hours for two of Australia’s top hopes to crash out of the 2017 Wimbledon Championships.

Nick Kyrgios was well short of his best against the unseeded Pierre-Hugues Herbert on Monday, losing the first two sets before retiring hurt.

Clearly troubled by the chronic hip problem that flared up after his tumble at the Queen’s Club a couple of weeks ago, the young Canberran could be in for a lengthy spell on the treatment table in a bid to get his body right for the US Open in August.

The other notable drop-out from the Aussie camp was Ash Barty, who went down 5-7, 6-7 (8-10) to fourth seed Elina Svitolina in a frustrating display.

The former cricketer showed great skill all over the court and had her opponent on the ropes for much of the match, but her inexperience on the big stage was exposed with a number of overly aggressive plays on pivotal points.

Daria Gavrilova, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Jordan Thompson and Bernard Tomic are all in action on Tuesday, but will any of them make it through to the second round?

For now, we look ahead to Wednesday with these Wimbledon multi selections:

V Azarenka to defeat E Vesnina – -208.33

P Herbet to defeat B Paire – +105

H Watson to defeat A Sevastova – +120

Multi pays +687 at CrownBet.com.au

Kei Nishikori vs. Sergiy Stakhovsky

Japan’s top tennis export had no dramas on the opening day, outclassing Marco Cecchinato to the tune of 6-2, 6-2, 6-0. His next opponent has had a much tougher time already. After winning through to the main draw with a gruelling five-set victory in the qualifying final, Stakhovsky required another four to see off France’s Julien Benneteau on Monday. Nishikori will have his eyes on the quarters or better, so he makes a good anchor here.

Victoria Azarenka vs. Elena Vesnina

It was a mixed start for Azarenka. She dropped the opening set, but Catherine Bellis managed to win only three more games from that point on. Back on tour after time out for motherhood, she looms as a dark horse with Serena Williams absent for the exact same reason. Vesnina reached the semis at Wimbledon last year and is seeded in the top 15 this time around, but she is yet to defeat Azarenka in seven attempts.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert vs. Benoit Paire

While he was awarded a free pass courtesy of Kyrgios and his dodgy hip, Herbert showed enough in those two sets to suggest he could at least match last year’s run to the third round. His fellow Frenchman and upcoming opponent has not reached that stage at the All England Club since 2013. Herbert holds the head-to-head advantage and could well extend that record if his serve-volley game holds up.

Heather Watson vs. Anastasija Sevastova

Guernsey girl Watson brings some interesting form into Wimbledon 2017. After disappointing early exits at Nottingham and Birmingham, she defeated Dominika Cibulkova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Barbora Strycova en route to the semi finals at Eastbourne. Sevastova enjoyed a much softer draw than that for her title win at Mallorca last time out. It should be a much more even contest than their respective rankings suggest.