Wimbledon day nine predictions & tennis betting tips: Sinner should saunter into the last four

Where to watch

Live on BBC One, BBC Two & BBC iPlayer, from 1pm Tuesday

Best bets

Elina Svitolina +5.5 games on handicap v Iga Swiatek
2pts 5-6 bet365

Jannik Sinner to win 3-0 v Roman Safiullin
1pt 6-5 Betfair

Marketa Vondrousova to beat Jessica Pegula
1pt 5-4 Paddy Power

Wimbledon day nine preview 

It's starting to get serious at the All England Club with the first set of quarter-finals headlining the action on day nine.

All eyes on the men's draw will be trained on seven-time champion Novak Djokovic as his title defence steps up a notch against seventh seed Andrey Rublev.

The victor of that last-eight showdown will be rewarded with a semi-final date against either world number eight Jannik Sinner or unseeded Russian Roman Safiullin.

In the two women’s quarter-finals, world number one Iga Swiatek takes on the rejuvenated Elina Svitolina while fourth seed Jessica Pegula is up against Marketa Vondrousova.

Jannik Sinner v Roman Safiullin predictions

After losing to Djokovic in last season’s quarter-finals, when he won the opening two sets against the Serb, Sinner will be determined to have another crack at the Wimbledon champion.

Djokovic is long odds-on to book his place in the last four and Sinner can set up a rematch with the reigning champion courtesy of a routine victory over world number 92 Safiullin.

The Italian has benefited from a kind draw at the All England Club but he has dropped only one set en route to the last eight. 

Sinner looks extremely comfortable on grass and he can record his fourth straight-sets success of the tournament against a player he defeated 7-6 6-3 in their sole meeting on a hard court in Australia last year.

Safiullin, featuring in the main draw of Wimbledon for the first time, has done exceptionally well to get this far but Sinner should have his measure.

Andrey Rublev v Novak Djokovic predictions

Djokovic dropped his first set of the tournament as he beat Hubert Hurkacz in the last 16, but the Serb is expected to have too many gears for his quarter-final opponent Rublev.

The 36-year-old has won the last four editions of Wimbledon and he has looked pretty dominant again this year with Hurkacz creating only two break points and early-round opponents Stan Wawrinka and Jordan Thompson failing to conjure any.

Djokovic has won three of his four previous meetings with Rublev in straight sets, which includes at the Australian Open earlier this year, and the Russian’s five-set marathon with Alexander Bublik in round four isn't the ideal preparation for a showdown with the grass-court king.

Iga Swiatek v Elina Svitolina predictions

Swiatek survived an almighty scare when she saved two match points in her three-set win over Belinda Bencic in the fourth round - and another stern test awaits the Pole against Svitolina.

It is well known that Swiatek is at her most vulnerable on grass and Svitolina, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist and playing near to the level that once saw her ranked third in the world, is capable of giving the top seed a fright.

The Ukrainian reached the quarter-finals of last month’s French Open in her first Grand Slam back after giving birth, and she has impressed in repeating those heroics at the All England Club.

Wins over Venus Williams, Elise Mertens, Sofia Kenin and Victoria Azarenka read particularly well and the manner of those performances suggests a handicap start of 5.5 games may underestimate her chances.

Jessica Pegula v Marketa Vondrousova predictions

The ultra-consistent Jessica Pegula is making her sixth Grand Slam quarter-final appearance, although she is yet to make the last four of a Major.

And the American may suffer another quarter-final exit against Marketa Vondrousova, who has already defeated world number 12 Veronika Kudermetova, recent Berlin runner-up Donna Vekic and her dangerous Czech compatriot Marie Bouzkova.

Pegula’s highest-ranked victim at Wimbledon this year has been world number 43 Elisabetta Cocciaretto and she may struggle to control the court against the aggressive former French Open runner-up.

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