Wimbledon Friday Tips: Can Raducanu do it again on Day 5?

• Sabalenka's slow feet offers Raducanu hope of another win

• Svitolina flying under the radar

• Fonseca looking dangerous

• Take advantage of Betfair's Bet Builder offer

Emma Raducanu made her doubters - including me - eat some humble pie on Wednesday when she impressively dismantled former champion Marketa Vondrousova.

Aryna Sabalenka will need to step up her level if she is to avoid being added to the Brit's upset list.

Elsewhere, I suggest taking advantage of the Betfair Bet Builder promotion to keep Elina Svitolina and Joao Fonseca onside.

Finally, I suggest some value in riding the Linda Noskova rollercoaster.

Can Raducanu trip up Sabalenka?

Emma Raducanu produced the performance of round two when she impressively dominated the tour's form player Marketa Vondrousova.

The Brit defied the odds and most people's expectations - including my own - with a tactical masterclass that unnerved and unsettled 2023 champion Vondrousova.

Raducanu had not shown this kind of level at all during the grass season so far, but on Centre Court she brought her absolute best and that is a very encouraging sign heading into her third round clash with outright favourite Aryna Sabalenka.

I am finding it difficult to buy into the groupthink that Sabalenka is somehow unbeatable at Wimbledon. Yes, she has the power and variety to decide many points in her favour but there is a glaring red flag that is being roundly ignored by commentators.

Sabalenka does not look natural moving on this surface, and found herself locked into a tight battle on Wednesday with Marie Bouzkova who served for the opening set and did a good job of making Sabalenka work for her points.

This match - as it always is - will be won on the Sabalenka racket, but if Raducanu can fathom a strategy as she did against Vondrousova who knows what can happen. If Raducanu can move Sabalenka around and pin a weakness as she did by peppering the Vondrousova backhand then she is not without a chance.

Let's not forget that this match will be on Centre Court and only a few weeks ago we saw Sabalenka wilt in the spotlight against Coco Gauff at the French Open. The Belarusian is a gentle soul who enjoys the adulation of the crowd, and there's no chance that she'll carry the crowd support against home hope Raducanu.

This is a serious test of Sabalenka's mettle and an examination of her championship winning prospects, which are far from a certainty in my book. Sabalenka struggled to blow away Bouzkova, and Raducanu is a step up in level from the Czech.

Raducanu can keep this close and she looks decent value at +4.5 games on the handicap at 1/12.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook.

Svitolina showing class

Elina Svitolina is flying under the radar at Wimbledon, but that might not be the case for too much longer.

The two time former semi-finalist moves better than most on this surface, utilises craft and variety, has defensive resilience and is clearly improving attacking aspects of her game. On paper there is a lot to like about Svitolina.

In Elise Mertens she will face a familiar foe that has a similar skillset to Svitolina albeit one less equipped across the board. They've met eight times in total, with Svitolina leading by five wins to three. 

Their most recent encounter was on the grass courts of Bad Homburg a few weeks ago. It was Svitolina's first grass court match of the season, while Mertens had won a title in the Netherlands the week prior. Svitolina also won their only other grass court meeting at Wimbledon in 2023.

Svitolina was broken four times by Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the previous round, but the Belarusian was hyper aggressive on return in a way that few players are. Mertens will be more measured and smarter in her approach and should be able to remain competitive.

However, Svitolina is the superior player and should have the edge.

In each of the Ukrainian's five wins over Mertens she has won the opening set. Use Betfair's Bet Builder to give an odds boost to a Svitolina win by backing her to win the match and win set one paying out at 9/101.90.

Brilliant Fonseca to clear Jarry

Brazilian wonderkid Joao Fonseca has hurdled the first two rounds with flying colours, and faces Nicolas Jarry who improbably finds himself at this stage of Wimbledon. 

The Chilean received some draw luck when paired with Holger Rune in round one, who led by two sets to love before a knee injury set him off track. In round two Jarry did play well, but then again he had already comfortably defeated Learner Tien a few weeks ago.

Fonseca is a step up in quality from both the aforementioned players, able to match Jarry's serving reliability with a superior ground game, particularly on his rock solid backhand wing.

I don't mean to dismiss the impressive form shown by Jarry, but Fonseca is something special. The 18-year old has the world at his fingertips, and impressively blasted his way through his opening two rounds against awkward opponents. 

The Jarry match-up should lean in his favour, as he has the evidently stronger ground game, which has been sharpened up through the first two rounds of action by players that tested his resolve and consistency.

I trust Fonseca to get the job done here and will pair together Fonseca to win the match and to win the first set, which pays out at 4/51.80.

Rakhimova can push unconvincing Noskova

Before a ball was struck at Wimbledon I wrote positively of Linda Noskova's chances to have a successful tournament. The Czech youngster has huge weaponry and throughout her grass court season has demonstrated that talent consistently.

Unfortunately, Noskova has also shown repeatedly that her game can blow up at any time as was the case when capitulating against Jessica Pegula in Berlin, and a shaky second and third set in her last match against Eva Lys.

From looking like a world beater Noskova can fall apart seemingly out of nowhere and that is a worry against her next opponent Kamila Rakhimova who sunk the chances of 2024 finalist Jasmine Paolini on Wednesday.

The Russian has been racking up the wins this grass season, with a playing style that is a good fit for the conditions. Rakhimova was outhitting Paolini repeatedly in the final set of their match.

I do rate Noskova as the superior player, but I do not trust her with a lead when she seemingly starts to panic about crossing the finishing post.

With that in mind, why not chance Noskova to win a complicated match by a two sets to one scoreline at 3/14.00.

Bookmark our Wimbledon tipping page and come back for daily tips throughout the tournament