Wimbledon Picks Cobolli-Fery: Fritz-Zverev Relegated to Court 1

Wednesday 8 July's order of play delivered the most debated decision of the day: the quarterfinal between Taylor Fritz and Alexander Zverev, the number 6 and number 2 seeds, will be staged on Court 1, while Centre Court will host Flavio Cobolli against Britain's Arthur Fery.

What weighs on the decision is Fery's profile. The 23-year-old Briton, world number 114 and into the draw as a wild card, is the home favourite at a tournament that has never known how to say no to the English crowd. At the All England Club the tradition is clear: Centre Court doesn't necessarily go to the most anticipated match, but often to the home player. And Fery, reaching the last eight at a Slam for the first time after fighting back from two sets to one down against Grigor Dimitrov on Centre Court itself, is the story London wants to see through to the end.

The sense of imbalance remains. On paper Fritz-Zverev is the heaviest matchup of the day, the one between the two highest remaining seeds in that half of the draw. The American arrives with a clear edge in their head-to-head, up 10-5 and on the back of seven straight wins over the German, a stat that makes the fixture even more intriguing. And yet it will be relegated to Court 1.

For Italy, in any case, it's a double affair: before Cobolli, Centre Court will feature Jasmine Paolini, up against Marta Kostyuk. Two Italians on the same day, on the same court, while the biggest clash on the schedule takes place elsewhere.