Roman Safiullin - Francisco Cerundolo predictions and free betting tips [02/07/2024]

Russian Roman Safiullin and Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo will clash in the first round of Wimbledon on Tuesday, 2 July. The match begins at 16:30 GMT.

Roman Safiullin

The 26-year-old tennis player is world No. 44. His highest career ranking was No. 36, which he reached at the start of the current season. Safiullin showed decent tennis last year, making it to the Wimbledon quarter-finals and reaching the final at the Chengdu tournament. Roman began this season successfully, reaching the semi-finals in Brisbane, but fell to Holger Rune in two sets – 4-6, 6-7 (0-7). However, a slump followed, with early exits even in challenger tournaments affecting his ranking.

He started to recover in May, making it to the semi-finals of the Open du Pays d'Aix before being ousted by Jaume Munar (6-7 (4-7), 3-6). Safiullin's start on grass has been poor: 2 matches, 2 losses. In Stuttgart, he lost to Matteo Berrettini 6-7 (8-10), 7-5, 5-7, and in Halle, he was defeated by Fabian Marozsan 5-7, 6-4, 1-6. It's notable that Marozsan isn't strong on grass courts, yet managed to beat the Russian. The Russian tennis player is on a streak of five consecutive losses. His form is far from ideal, and it's doubtful he will be able to repeat last year's success.

Francisco Cerundolo

The 25-year-old Argentinian is ranked No. 30 in the ATP rankings. In February, Cerundolo reached the semi-finals of the tournament in Rio. In Brazil, he beat the likes of Sebastian Baez, Dusan Lajovic, Albert Ramos, and Francisco Comesana. In most other tournaments, Francisco exited either in the round of 16 or the round of 32. He caused a sensation at the Madrid tournament, where he reached the quarter-finals, losing to Taylor Fritz 1-6, 6-3, 3-6. Remarkably, in the round of 16 in Spain, he sensationally defeated world No. 4 Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4.

However, his major success came against Novak Djokovic in the fourth round of Roland Garros, where the Argentinian took two sets off the renowned Serb – 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 3-6. This year, he has performed well against top-tier players, though he faltered against Carlos Alcaraz in the Queen’s Club Championships, losing in the round of 32 – 1-6, 5-7. Francisco Cerundolo is currently on a three-match losing streak.

Head-to-Head

These players have never met in head-to-head matches before.

Match Prediction: Safiullin vs Cerundolo

This match is not straightforward. Last year, the Russian reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals, though he was fortunate with the draw. Cerundolo, on the other hand, claimed the title on grass at Eastbourne in 2023.

However, Safiullin’s current form is poor, lacking stability and confidence. He is ranked lower than his opponent and his losing streak is two matches longer. Undoubtedly, he aims to defend last year’s quarter-final finish, but this adds significant psychological pressure. Nonetheless, he has decent statistics with 11 wins out of his last 18 matches on grass, compared to Francisco’s 9 wins in 17 games.

At present, the Argentinian appears stronger on court, as evidenced by his matches against Zverev and Djokovic. Cerundolo has a better chance of advancing to the next round.