For Panelist Predictions of Day 4 women’s matches, click here.
As we hit day four of Wimbledon, LWOS writers Niall Clarke and John Lupo, plus freelance journalist Lyndon Chastain, have made their predictions for the pick of the round two matches.
Tomas Berdych vs Nicholas Mahut
Niall: Mahut usually peaks at this time of year so I can see him giving Berdych a lot of problems. However I feel that the Czech’s power and big game experience will pull him through a tough five setter.
Prediction: Berdych in 5
Lyndon: I pick Tomas in 5 because he seems in the best place mentally right now and can get to Nicos BH time and time again. Also Berdych’s rough power will keep Mahut from attacking the net often. That being said Tomas will probably drop off at some point in the match and that’s where Mahut will make his move. One area where Nico could exploit Tomas is the short BH slice up in the court. Tomas will be too good in the end 7-5 in fifth
Prediction: Berdych in 5
John: The 2010 finalist saw off dangerous Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in his opening match while Mahut, on the 5 year anniversary of his historic 70-68 5th set vs John Isner, defeated Serb Filip Krajinovic. I suspect the Frenchman will try to serve and volley as often as possible to put the pressure on Berdych. If the Czech’s weapons are firing, it could be a short day at the office. If not, Mahut can perhaps reprise some of his fine play from years past. I suspect we see something in the middle with the 6th seed prevailing.
Prediction: Berdych in 4
Vasek Pospisil vs Fabio Fognini
Niall: Fognini is a bit suspect on the grass, whilst Pospisil’s game seems to suit it more. The Italian struggles against big servers so I can see the Canadian getting under his skin. Therefore I think Pospisil will take it, likely in four or five sets.
Prediction: Pospisil in 5
Lyndon: I picked Vasek in 4 for several reasons. First off Fabio is really suspect on grass and usually tanks matches here and doesn’t have a great history against big servers. Vasek also will have more belief after that nail-biting fifth set win. Only chance I give Fabio is if he takes backhand DTL often and hits behind Vasek in this match otherwise Vasek will do too much dictating and control the action.
Prediction: Pospisil in 4
John: Neither player has done anything of note to suggest a long run on grass is possible, so perhaps they are fortunate to draw each other in Round 2. Pospisil has more weapons than the Italian, who is mercurial and his unpredictability is constant. Neither man played a match in the grass season as Pospisil lost a match in qualifying and Fognini skipped the grass court warm up season altogether. In their second career meeting, the Canadian will prevail.
Prediction: Pospisil in 3
Borna Coric vs Andreas Seppi
Niall: A battle between a young gun and one of the most experienced players inside the top 30. Both are solid players, but I feel that Seppi is better on the grass, so I think the Italian will use that edge to pull through in four or five sets.
Prediction: Seppi in 4
Lyndon: This is a pick-em. Andreas is the favorite in this match for obvious reasons. His grass pedigree and his gamestyle are perfect for this tournament and coming off a good run in Halle. But he is coming off injury and isn’t as fit and I feel Borna will use his youth and fighting spirit to his advantages and he also has great on-court adjustments for the teenager. Seppi needs to use the dropshot and short slice as much as possible and angles but just feel Borna will win an epic struggle.
Prediction: Coric in 5
John: The Italian reached the final in Halle and was his usual consistent self in Round 1, losing just 7 games to Brydan Klein. Coric went the distance to defeat Sergiy Stakhovsky, cramping at the end of the deciding 9-7 victorious set. Their only previous meeting was two years ago in Umag with Seppi prevailing, but throw that out as Coric was 16. The Croat is a much better player now and could cause an upset depending on how he physically recovered from his opening match, but I’m betting Seppi tries to expose the young guy’s potentially weakened physical fitness to move into Round 3.
Prediction: Seppi in 4
Alexandr Dolgopolov vs Ivo Karlovic
Niall: Interesting contest here with a big clash of styles. Karlovic is the big server, whilst Dolgopolov has tons of variety. However the inconsistent Dolgopolov will struggle to get anything on his opponent’s serve and ultimately that will be his downfall.
Prediction: Karlovic in 4
Lyndon: This is quite easy for me. Ivos serve is too good right now especially on grass and Alex’s mental stability is not his strength. Dolgo can frustrate Ivo enough to get in TBs with his unpredictable power and spin but don’t know how he will win consistent points on Ivos serve. So I have Ivo winning in 4 tight sets.
Prediction: Karlovic in 4
John: The Ukrainian looked rock-solid in knocking out Brit Kyle Edmund while Karlovic needed 4 sets to dismiss up and coming Swede Elias Ymer. Dolgopolov has a 2-1 record vs the 23rd seed with only 2 of 9 sets going to tiebreaks. With both players coming off of semifinal appearances in warmup events and gathering momentum coming in, I like the former Aussie Open quarterfinalist to cause a mild upset in a close affair.
Prediction: Dolgopolov in 5
Rafael Nadal vs Dustin Brown
Niall: We all remember Halle last year? Well if not, let me remind you that Brown destroyed Nadal in less than an hour that day. I can see Brown causing more trouble, but the slower courts here favour Nadal who is always up the biggest events. With that in mind I will say Rafa in 4.
Prediction: Nadal in 4
Lyndon: Match of the day. Dustin is going to be galvanized by the crowd and embrace the stadium will be jacked up and play lights-out for 2.5 sets then Rafa will dig deep and find that greatness he is known for and just grind Dustin down and force him into countless unforced errors. Another Wimbledon comeback for Rafa.
Prediction: Nadal in 5
John: The 2-time Wimbledon champion looked good in defeating Thomaz Bellucci. He now sees a player that defeated him on grass in Halle last year. The always entertaining Brown had a notable Wimbledon win in 2013 when he defeated Lleyton Hewitt. The Jamaican-born German will have his moments and capture a set, but Rafa will move on.
Prediction: Nadal in 4
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