Wimbledon Day 1 best bets: Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. James Duckworth, Joao Fonseca vs. Jacob Fearnley

Wimbledon gets underway Monday with wall-to-wall action starting at 6 a.m.Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, and plenty of other heavyweights are in action on Day 1 of the Championships, but we’ll focus on a couple of under-the-radar matches for our first two bets of the fortnight at the All England Club.You would think that the slick surface at Wimbledon would suit Felix Auger-Aliassime’s offensive game, but the Canadian has struggled to make hay at the All England Club in recent years.Auger-Aliassime made it to the third round in his first trip to Wimbledon and then the quarterfinals in his second, but he’s not made it out of Round 1 since.If Auger-Aliassime has his serve working and is able to construct quick points, he can overwhelm any player on the ATP Tour.When he’s off, even just a little bit, it can be come an adventure.He won’t love the matchup on Monday, as he’ll play the tireless Aussie, James Duckworth, who excels at hanging around in rallies and making you play an extra ball.That makes this a tricky one for Auger-Aliassime, and opens up a path to an upset for the veteran Aussie.The Play: James Duckworth (+350, FanDuel)A star in the making, João Fonseca put the tennis world on notice in January and February.

The 18-year-old from Brazil upset Andrey Rublev at the 2025 Australian Open, and then won his maiden ATP title in Buenos Aires in February. Fonseca has endured some dips in the four months since, but there’s been much more good than bad for the teenager in his first full year on the ATP Tour. The future is incredibly bright for Fonseca, but it would not be a shock to see him stumble a bit at Wimbledon.We often see young players have trouble adapting to the grass courts at Wimbledon, and Fonseca caught a tough draw by getting scheduled against England’s Jacob Fearnley in Round 1.Fonseca has way more talent than Fearnley, but the Englishman has a lot more experience on the grass than the wunderkind. Don’t be shoc...