Jack Draper vs Alexander Bublik, Jannik Sinner taking on Denis Shapovalov: Wimbledon set to offer mouthwatering third-round clashes

Wimbledon 2025 is set to begin on June 30, and the draws have been announced. In the early phase of the competition, there are some mouthwatering contests which can take place from the third round onwards.

First of those could see the world's number one, Jannik Sinner, taking on Canada’s Denis Shapovalov. Both players have only faced each other once before, and their only meeting was in 2021 during the first round of the Australian Open. In that contest, Shapovalov came out on top in five sets.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is likely to face Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime. They have faced each other seven times in professional tennis before, with Alcaraz holding a slight edge, having won four matches and suffered three defeats in the process. Their most recent meeting came in the semifinal of the Paris Olympics singles event, where Alcaraz came out on top in straight sets.

The most anticipated clash would have been between the home favourite and world number four Jack Draper, facing Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik. The two players have faced each other three times in professional tennis, with Draper holding a slight edge, having won two of the matches. Their most recent meeting took place in the fourth round of the French Open, where Bublik ultimately knocked Draper out after winning the contest with a score of 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. Draper can now have an opportunity to take revenge while playing in front of the home crowd.

Other possible third-round encounters could see America’s Taylor Fritz taking on Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Tommy Paul taking on Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov and world number three Alexander Zverev facing Italy’s Matteo Berrettini. Spain’s Alcaraz will be defending his title for the second year at Wimbledon. He lifted the title in 2024 after beating Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-2, 7-6.