Canadian next-gen talent Felix Auger-Aliassime looks to continue his run of form against Frenchman Corentin Moutet in the 2nd round of Wimbledon, while ageless grass court specialist Feliciano Lopez faces Karen Khachanov. Yesh Ginsburg and Jim Smith offer their predictions. We also have predictions for matches featuring Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka, and Novak Djokovic.
Wimbledon Day 3 Men’s Predictions Including Karen Khachanov vs Feliciano Lopez
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Corentin Moutet
Jim: Both Auger-Aliassime and Moutet are men to watch in the coming years, although the Canadian looks to have the higher ceiling of the two. It has been an excellent grass-court swing for Auger-Aliassime so far and he would surely love to cap it off with a good run at Wimbledon. He has the game to do so, with his serve a particularly potent weapon. Don’t expect him to encounter too much difficulty reaching the third round. Auger-Aliassime in 4
Yesh: Corentin Moutet picked up a remarkable five-set win over Grigor Dimitrov in the last round. Moutet is not a natural grass-courter, though, and has already played a lot of tennis this tournament. He won’t have much left in the tank to challenge Auger-Aliassime. Auger-Aliassime in 3
Ivo Karlovic vs Thomas Fabbiano
Jim: Karlovic is nearing the end of his excellent career, but his thunderous serve ensures he is still a danger on a grass court. He showed as much by dispatching the Italian qualifier Andrea Arnaboldi in straight sets. He will surely feel confident again up against Arnaboldi’s countryman Fabbiano, despite the world #102’s impressive win over seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Croatian’s confidence does not seem misplaced. Karlovic in 4
Yesh: Karlovic is still winning matches at 40 years old. He won’t be able to break the serve of Thomas Fabbiano like he did to Andrea Arnaboldi, though. Fabbiano likes the grass and has lots of momentum. Fabbiano in 4
Karen Khachanov vs Feliciano Lopez
Jim: This is a tough draw for Khachanov, but it should be some match. Lopez is revitalised on the grass after a double-triumph at Queen’s Club and has the game to cause the Russian serious problems. But Khachanov has earned his top ten ranking and has played some excellent grass-court tennis so far in his career. His power game should just about see him into the last 32. Khachanov in 5
Yesh: Khachanov shockingly struggled against Soon-woo Kwon. He won’t be able to survive another performance like that, especially against a good grass courter like Feliciano Lopez. Lopez in 4
Pablo Cuevas vs Jiri Vesely
Jim: Vesely has arguably become that rarest of specimens: a grass-court specialist. The Czech’s two best Grand Slam performances have come at the All England Club and he seems to relish the slick conditions in SW19. Cuevas himself has improved markedly at Wimbledon recently, but against the big-hitting Vesely that seems unlikely to be enough. Vesely in 3
Yesh: Vesely picked up a huge win over Alexander Zverev, while Pablo Cuevas struggled tremendously to beat Damir Dzumhur. (Cuevas did light up the highlight reel, though.) Vesely is strong on grass and should move through this match. Vesely in 3
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