Wimbledon 2023: Holger Rune vs Roberto Carballes Baena preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (6) Holger Rune vs Roberto Carballes Baena

Date: July 7, 2023

Tournament: Wimbledon 2023

Round: Second Round (Round of 64)

Venue: London, United Kingdom

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Grass

Prize money: £44,700,000

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | Canada - TSN & RDS | UK - BBC & Eurosport | India - Star Sports

Holger Rune vs Roberto Carballes Baena preview

Sixth seed Holger Rune continues his Wimbledon campaign against unseeded Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena.

World No. 6 Rune brought up his maiden win at the grasscourt Grand Slam, beating wildcard George Loffhagen in two days. In a first-round contest that ended on Thursday, July 6, Rune completed a straight-set win, having taken the opener in a tiebreak a day earlier.

Loffhagen threatened a comeback when play resumed a day later but squandered three break points on the Rune serve. The Dane made him pay for the profligacy, conceding only five games in the next two sets to get off the mark at Wimbledon in his second attempt. Having fallen in the first round last year, the 20-year-old is now 34-12 on the season.

Meanwhile, the 57th-ranked Carballes Baena got the better of Italian qualifier Matteo Arnaldi in his opener. After dropping the first set in a tiebreak, the Spaniard restored parity, conceding only three games.

A tighter fourth set ensued, with Arnaldi taking four games, but it was the Spaniard who took the all-important two-sets-to-one lead. It was more of the same in the fourth, with Carballes Baena conceding four more games to seal his berth in the second round.

The 30-year-old is now 16-15 on the season as he, like Rune, also opened his account at Wimbledon but on the fifth attempt.

Holger Rune vs Roberto Carballes Baena head-to-head

Holger Rune lost his only meeting with Carballes Baena in the Cordoba opening round last year in straight sets. This will be their first clash on grass.

Holger Rune vs Roberto Carballes Baena odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over/under)
Holger Rune
Roberto Carballes Baena

The odds will be updated when they release.

Holger Rune vs Roberto Carballes Baena prediction

Carballes Baena is off the mark at Wimbledon.

Both Rune and Carballes Baena are quintessentially baseliners, but the similarities in their game styles end there.

Rune has a big serve, hits powerfully off either flank and has elite athleticism, while Carballes Baena is more of a counterpuncher with more modest weapons in his arsenal.

Moreover, Rune takes the edge because of his superior experience and consistency, but their grasscourt pedigrees are similar. The Norwegian has gone 4-4 on the surface - with all four wins coming this year - while Carbalaes Baena is only 3-10.

However, Rune is having a career-best season across surfaces, which should see him through to the next round without much fuss.

Pick: Rune in straight sets

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Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

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Edited by Yash Singh