After an exciting two days of Wimbledon action we head to day three of the championships where the second round begins.
After carefully prediction five of the best matches from Wednesday’s order of play, Last word on sports contirubtor Niall Clarke, and Freelance journalists Manuel Traquete and Elliot Cornish have offered up there thoughts on the upcoming action.
Panelists Predictions: Wimbledon Mens Day Three
Dennis Kudla vs Alex Zverev
Niall: Another tough but passable test for the young German here. Kudla is a good grass court player himself and can certainly make life difficult for Zverev. I have a feeling we could have another long match here but I am going to go with Zverev.
Prediction: Zverev in 5
Manuel: The German has a golden opportunity to reach his first ever Grand Slam R3 at the tender age of 18. Kudla isn’t exactly an easy opponent, but Zverev still heads into this match as the favourite. He has played well so far in this grass season and he will be relishing this chance to make a breakthrough at Slam level. With Nishikori’s fitness a question mark, becoming the youngest player to make a Slam R4 this century isn’t out of the questions for the young German either.
Prediction: Zverev in 4
Elliot: Both youngsters did well to come through five-setters against more experienced in the first round, with Kudla making good use of his wildcard entry. Zverev is the player with the most potential but the American has been on a roll lately and I think he’ll come through this one, but perhaps not in straight sets.
Prediction: Kudla in 4.
Fernando Verdasco vs Dominic Thiem
Niall: Verdasco made life fairly difficult for himself when he was taken to a long five setter by Martin Klizan. Verdasco is capable on grass, and I think suits the surface more than Thiem who is still working out his game. Knowing Nando he will make it difficult for himself, so I will say Verdasco in five.
Prediction: Verdasco in 5
Manuel: Verdasco’s last two Slam matches were 5-set marathons in matchups he was expected to win with relative ease against players who are very uncomfortable on the respective surface (Becker on clay, Klizan on grass). This match also seems to have 5-setter written all over it and I’d back Thiem to make his first round 3 appearance at Wimbledon.
Prediction: Thiem in 5
Elliot: A quarter-finalist two years ago, Verdasco knows how to succeed at SW19 and after fighting past the dangerous Martin Klizan in round one, it promises to get no easier against Austrian wonderkid Dominic Thiem – the latter takes some beating on the tour nowadays and he will be in the mix in this match. The Spaniard struggles to close out contests under pressure and if it is a tight battle, I think Thiem will oust him.
Prediction Thiem in 5.
Tommy Haas vs Milos Raonic
Niall: This could have been an interesting match, but injuries and age have seemingly caught up to Haas. His varied game could have caused a lot of problems for Raonic, but I feel that at this stage of their careers Raonic should come through.
Prediction: Raonic in 4
Manuel: This could be a really interesting match if Haas was in any sort of form, even at this age. It’s a clear contrast of styles with Haas’s variety and all-court game going against the notoriously one-dimensional and serve-dependent Raonic; the problem is that, aside from his age, Haas has just come back from yet another injury and doesn’t seem anywhere near good form. Unless the German can roll back the years here, Raonic should serve his way through with relative ease.
Prediction: Raonic in 3
Elliot: Once again, Haas is back on tour and looking for more scalps and he may have a sniff against Raonic who has recently returned from injury. The Canadian’s huge serve suits him well on grass but Haas is no slouch on the surface either. Tiebreaks are likely to be the order of the day in this one, and the German will probably pinch a set, if not two, but winning may just be too much.
Prediction: Raonic in 4
Grigor Dimitrov vs Steve Johnson
Niall: This could be a good match if Johnson serves well. I feel the American is one of the more under-rated players on tour and has a slight chance here. But Dimitrov’s game suits grass and I expect he will come through.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 4
Manuel: Dimitrov is a poor returner of serve and has been struggling all year, so Johnson is in with a chance in this match if he can serve at his best. Ultimately though, you’d expect last year’s semifinalist to pull through, with his better movement and fitness being the major difference maker.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 4
Elliot: Dimitrov made light work of Federico Delbonis but has not had a strong year and that makes him potentially vulnerable to America’s Johnson, although the Californian hasn’t been as potent this season as he was last. Johnson will likely be solid while Dimitrov’s play tends to be streakier, however, the Bulgarian loves the grass – as indicated by his semi-final run in 2014 – and an upset here probably isn’t on the cards.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 3
Juan Monaco vs Nick Kyrgios
Niall: If this was clay I would give Monaco a chance, but the Argentine is not a natural grass courter, so I feel that Kyrgios should take this one with relative comfort.
Prediction: Kyrgios in 3
Manuel: Kyrgios is a much better player than Monaco these days and grass suits his game far better, it should be a pretty easy win for the young Aussie en route to a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal with Raonic in round 3.
Prediction Kyrgios in 3
Elliot: Kyrgios is quickly cementing his place as tennis’ “bad boy” but the Australian has been taking care of business where it matters – at the Grand Slams. He may only be 19 but his grass credentials are far greater than Monaco’s and I reckon he will have too much for the Argentine and come through quite comfortably.
Prediction Kyrgios in 3.
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