Play of the Day: Liam Broady vs. Denis Shapovalov, Wimbledon

WATCH: Broady bounces Ruud in second round

Liam Broady is the hero of the day after coming back from a two-sets-to-one deficit to beat world No. 4 Casper Ruud in the second round of Wimbledon. Broady won the final set of that match 6-0, and he now faces Denis Shapovalov with a spot in the last 16 on the line.

On paper, this looks like an easier matchup for the Brit. But Shapovalov is still a sizable favorite, and I think he deserves to be. In fact, I’m taking the Canadian to cover a 3.5-game spread here.

While Ruud is a higher-ranked player than Shapovalov—and somebody I took a flier on to win his quarter—the Norwegian didn’t exactly take the grass-court season very seriously. The only matches he played on the surface leading up to Wimbledon were exhibitions, and he was also seen going to concerts and playing a lot of golf after his run to the final at Roland Garros. With that in mind, it isn’t too surprising that Ruud was unable to beat Broady on this surface. It also looked like he was a little banged up in the fourth set. None of that is the case with Shapovalov, who is something of a natural on grass.

Shapovalov can be a very frustrating player to bet on, but he has a very big serve and crushes the ball from the baseline. On grass surfaces, that’s exactly the style of play you want to have. Ruud hit a little too much topspin in his meeting with Broady, who had the edge in power in that match. But Broady won’t be able to outhit Shapovalov here. And I think the Canadian will be also a lot sturdier when it comes to service games. Shapovalov will just need to hang in there mentally with the crowd urging Broady on.

I also think it's a tough ask for Broady to have to come out and play this match with just one day of rest. A win over Ruud should be grounds for a celebration, but he's going to have to try and mentally prepare himself for another big match.

Bet: Shapovalov -3.5 Games (-150)