By Michael Leboff
Gabriel Diallo鈥檚 game seems tailor-made for the grass.
The 23-year-old Canadian stands 6-foot-8, boasts a massive serve, and is not afraid to be aggressive in the big moments.
Players with that kind of toolkit are always intriguing on the grass, but we鈥檝e seen this surface prove tricky for big-serving players who believe that they can simply overpower their opponents.
Diallo, in his main draw debut at Wimbledon, seems to have avoided falling into that trap.
Not only did the Montreal native look imperious against Daniel Altmaier in Round 1, but he also collected the first ATP title of his career last month on the lawn at the Libema Open.
Diallo takes on American Taylor Fritz in one of the most intriguing matchups of Round 2.
Wimbledon: Fritz vs. Diallo pick
Diallo isn鈥檛 the only big server in this matchup. According to the ATP, Taylor Fritz has the second-highest rated serve on Tour behind Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, whom the American defeated in Round 1.
While there are plenty of similarities between Mpetshi Perricard and Diallo, the difference is in the return game. The Frenchman wasn鈥檛 able to touch Fritz鈥檚 serve, but that isn鈥檛 likely to be the case against Diallo.
Diallo鈥檚 serve isn鈥檛 as powerful as Mpetshi Perricard鈥檚, but he will be able to put more pressure on Fritz when he鈥檚 on defense, which is something the World No. 5 didn鈥檛 have to deal with in Round 1.
Fritz鈥檚 tank could be close to empty after his marathon match in Round 1, so don鈥檛 be surprised if he can鈥檛 deal with Diallo on Wednesday.
The play: Diallo +250 (FanDuel)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.