The conclusion of the men’s second round at Wimbledon should make for an entertaining day of tennis at the All England, and at LWOT we’re offering predictions for sixteen of the best matches. That includes one mouth-watering clash between Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios, top-ten stalwart Kei Nishikori against Britain’s Cameron Norrie and the 2018 semifinalist John Isner’s matchup with the dangerous Mikhail Kukushkin. Offering their prediction for this selection, which includes eight-time champion Roger Federer vs wildcard Jay Clarke, are Jim Smith, Harsh Bhoot and Yesh Ginsburg.
Wimbledon Day Four Predictions
Dan Evans vs Nikoloz Basilashvili
Jim: Basilashvili is an excellent player, but he has been enduring a period of poor form lately, one surely not helped by the shift to the grass, his least favourite surface. Evans, in contrast, thrives on the slick grass courts of his homeland and should feel confident heading into this one.
Prediction: Evans in 3
Harsh: Two contrasting first-round wins for both of them. Evans had an easy day out whereas Basilashvili was stretched to his limits coming back from two sets down against James Ward. Basilashvili has the better baseline game, but his reluctance to close out points at the net will cost him against Evans who’s having a decent grass court season.
Prediction: Evans in 4
Yesh: Basilashvili barely survived Ward in the first round, losing the first two sets before coming back to win in five. Now he gets a better Brit in second round. Expect another seed to fall.
Prediction: Evans in 4
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Jan-Lennard Struff vs Taylor Fritz
Jim: This match won’t receive the highest billing on day four, but it could well prove to be one of the best. Both Struff and Fritz are in fine form and both look to be comfortable on the grass. Fritz, in particular, looked very strong in dismissing a below-par Tomas Berdych in straight sets in the first round. But Struff’s power will be hard to answer for the American and so the 33rd seed should just about be able to book his place in the third round.
Prediction: Struff in 5
Harsh: Struff has had an okay grass court warm-up reaching the semis at Stuttgart beating high-quality opponents. But when he takes on Fritz he’s facing someone who’s recently run into a rich vein of form bagging the title at Eastbourne. The American has provided enough evidence of his form beating the 2010 Wimbledon finalist Berdych in straight sets and looks hungry for more.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Yesh: Fritz was really impressive in dismantling Berdych. Struff, meanwhile, was equally dismissive of Radu Albot. Expect a great match between two players who will be meeting much later than the second round in future years.
Prediction: Fritz in 4
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Gregoire Barrere vs Lucas Pouille
Jim: Pouille is woefully inconsistent, but as he showed at Melbourne Park earlier this year, when he is at his best he is a terrific player. A former-quarterfinalist at the All England Club, he will surely be targeting another good run in south-west London. The qualifier Barrere has been playing well, but against his countryman, he looks all but certain to be outmatched.
Prediction: Pouille in 4
Harsh: It will be an all French clash when Pouille takes on his countryman Barrere. It should be pretty straightforward for Pouille against the qualifier who had a good win against Bublik. Reckon Pouille would be tough to breach for the newcomer Barrere.
Prediction: Pouille in 3
Yesh: Pouille is just the better player in this matchup. He should be able to move through and reach the third round here for the first time since 2016.
Prediction: Pouille in 3
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Jay Clarke vs Roger Federer
Jim: This is a great opportunity for the wildcard Clarke, who impressed in besting Noah Rubin in the first round. Federer made a rather slow start against Lloyd Harris, but woke up to the danger posed by the South African before any real damage was done. That match will have sharpened him up which does not bode well for the Briton.
Prediction: Federer in 3
Harsh: Federer took his time to show up in his first-round match, but when he did it was business as usual. The young Brit Clarke surely is a future prospect for British tennis but to take on Federer at Wimbledon is a big of an ask for him. Don’t expect the great Swiss to encounter too many problems.
Prediction: Federer in 3
Yesh: Clarke battled through Rubin in the first round in four sets. But while Federer took some time to get into his match against Harris, it won’t happen again.
Prediction: Federer in 3
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