Andy Schooler has backed Flavio Cobolli to beat Karen Khachanov at 13/10 for Saturday’s Wimbledon third-round action. The pick leans against Khachanov’s stronger Wimbledon record, but Schooler still preferred Cobolli’s price and baseline game.
Schooler’s 13/10 call
The Sporting Life tipster wrote: "If Cobolli can get to grips with the Khachanov serve, I’m pretty sure he can win this match from the baseline." He also said: "I’m happy to back the underdog here at 13/10."
That choice follows a run in which Cobolli won his quarter at the French Open for this column at 11/1. It also extends a Wimbledon case that has already produced proof on grass, with Cobolli reaching the quarter-finals last season.
Cobolli’s grass backing
Last year’s run included wins over Marin Cilic and Jakub Mensik on grass at Wimbledon. Those results give the selection a recent grass-court reference point, and they sit behind the view that he can make more of his own service games than the market might suggest.
The matchup is built around return pressure as much as ranking lines. Schooler’s note points directly at Khachanov’s serve, which means Cobolli’s path depends on whether he can extend rallies and keep enough returns in play to stop the Russian from controlling the match early.
Khachanov’s Wimbledon record
Khachanov has also made the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, but his numbers in this event are thinner against stronger opponents. He has never beaten a top-20 player at Wimbledon, his best Wimbledon win by ranking came against the world number 37, and he is 3-5 against the top 50 at Wimbledon.
Two of those three Wimbledon wins against top-50 opponents came deep in a final set. That makes the 13/10 play more than a simple underdog punt: it rests on Cobolli’s recent grass results and on the idea that Khachanov has not consistently converted the better draw into a cleaner win record at Wimbledon.
Cobolli and Khachanov had played each other once before this match, more than two years ago. For bettors, that leaves the present meeting to judge on current grass form, not on a meeting that is too distant to set the terms here.
Sunday’s wider card
Schooler also backed Grigor Dimitrov to beat Matteo Berrettini at 23/20. Earlier on Thursday, Dimitrov defeated Jakub Mensik at 7/4, a result shaped by 31 aces from Mensik and a second serve that won 44% of the points.
For the Cobolli match, though, the price is the main story. Schooler has taken the underdog at 13/10, and the betting case now sits on whether Cobolli can turn his Wimbledon grass record into another upset against Khachanov.
