We will wrap up the second round of Wimbledon on Thursday. So far, we have seen surprises, upsets, and plenty of quality tennis. Day 4 will see most of the seeds, as 13 of the 16 seeds in this half of the draw won on Tuesday. Will we see more fall on Thursday? It’s definitely possible, as no one knows what Day 4 will bring. We’re going to do our best to predict the action for you, though. We predict every single match. This set of predictions contains four matches, but there are three other sets coming your way. (One features Taylor Townsend vs Kiki Bertens, the second headlines Amanda Anisimova vs Magda Linette, and the third features Serena Williams vs Kaja Juvan.) Predicting these Day 4 matches are myself (Yesh Ginsburg), Tracey Essex, and Jim Smith.
Wimbledon Day 4 Women’s Predictions
Elise Mertens vs Monica Niculescu
Tracey:
Twice Elise Mertens has been treated to the slice and dice game wielded by Monica Niculescu. So, that familiarity can only help her through this clash. Those Niculescu slices are all the more distressing on grass and Mertens will need to stay sharp with her footwork. Niculescu will certainly challenge but Mertens should come good.
Prediction: Mertens in 3
Jim:
Mertens looked very sharp in dispatching the French young gun Fiona Ferro for the loss of just two games. Niculescu, who battled past Andrea Petkovic in the first round, will likely present a tougher test for the Belgian 21st seed, but she has won both of their previous matches handily and should feel confident about her chances of doing so again.
Prediction: Mertens in 2
Yesh:
Niculescu’s game can be brutal for opponents on grass. Mertens is the better player, but I’m not sure she’ll be able to adapt enough to come out with the win. Either way, expect a very tight match throughout.
Prediction: Mertens in 3
Carla Suarez Navarro vs Pauline Parmentier
Tracey:
Pauline Parmentier looked good in her opener against Maria Sharapova. Clean ball striking and creating space left the Russian superstar wrong footed and frustrated. The Frenchwoman’s serve had some questionable moments and she’ll need to keep that in check against Carla Suarez Navarro. Suarez Navarro will punish her mis-steps. I don’t see enough time for the Parmentier serve to take shape, and that will give Suarez Navarro the opening she needs.
Prediction: Suarez Navarro in 2
Jim:
Suarez Navarro is a wonderful player to watch when she is at her best, but she is hardly a grass-court specialist. That said, neither is Parmentier, who had the strange experience of seeing Maria Sharapova retire down 0-5 against her in the first round. This should be close, but Suarez Navarro has that little bit more quality, which could well prove decisive.
Prediction: Suarez Navarro in 3
Yesh:
Parmentier was dead to rights in her opening match. Sure, she put up a decent fight, but Maria Sharapova should have won that easily. Parmentier is only in this round because her opponent broke down physically last match. She’ll get trounced by the always-solid Spaniard.
Prediction: Suarez Navarro in 2
Ivana Jorovic vs Alison Riske
Tracey:
Alison Riske surprised me when she upset the #22 seed Donna Vekic. Seemed like it should have been a straightforward win for Vekic but Riske was able to make it anything but. Playing with a closed roof certainly helped the American, an advantage she won’t have against Ivana Jorovic. Though, I don’t think Riske will need much to help her move on to the third round against the young Serb.
Prediction: Riske in 2
Jim:
Riske was handed a tough first-round draw up against Donna Vekic, but played an excellent match to edge out the Croatian in three. The American is never more at home than when on a grass court and it is hard to see her encountering too many problems against the comparatively untested Serbian Jorovic.
Prediction: Riske in 2
Yesh:
Alison Riske is in really good form on the grass this year. Don’t put too much stock into her near-loss in Round 1, since Donna Vekic is also a very good player. Jorovic struggled a bit in her opening match as well, albeit against a much weaker player. Riske should move through this and into the third round.
Prediction: Riske in 2
Sloane Stephens vs Yafan Wang
Twice Elise Mertens has been treated to the slice and dice game wielded by Monica Niculescu. So, that familiarity can only help her through this clash. Those Niculescu slices are all the more distressing on grass and Mertens will need to stay sharp with her footwork. Niculescu will certainly challenge but Mertens should come good.
Prediction: Mertens in 3
Mertens looked very sharp in dispatching the French young gun Fiona Ferro for the loss of just two games. Niculescu, who battled past Andrea Petkovic in the first round, will likely present a tougher test for the Belgian 21st seed, but she has won both of their previous matches handily and should feel confident about her chances of doing so again.
Prediction: Mertens in 2
Niculescu’s game can be brutal for opponents on grass. Mertens is the better player, but I’m not sure she’ll be able to adapt enough to come out with the win. Either way, expect a very tight match throughout.
Prediction: Mertens in 3
Pauline Parmentier looked good in her opener against Maria Sharapova. Clean ball striking and creating space left the Russian superstar wrong footed and frustrated. The Frenchwoman’s serve had some questionable moments and she’ll need to keep that in check against Carla Suarez Navarro. Suarez Navarro will punish her mis-steps. I don’t see enough time for the Parmentier serve to take shape, and that will give Suarez Navarro the opening she needs.
Prediction: Suarez Navarro in 2
Suarez Navarro is a wonderful player to watch when she is at her best, but she is hardly a grass-court specialist. That said, neither is Parmentier, who had the strange experience of seeing Maria Sharapova retire down 0-5 against her in the first round. This should be close, but Suarez Navarro has that little bit more quality, which could well prove decisive.
Prediction: Suarez Navarro in 3
Parmentier was dead to rights in her opening match. Sure, she put up a decent fight, but Maria Sharapova should have won that easily. Parmentier is only in this round because her opponent broke down physically last match. She’ll get trounced by the always-solid Spaniard.
Prediction: Suarez Navarro in 2
Alison Riske surprised me when she upset the #22 seed Donna Vekic. Seemed like it should have been a straightforward win for Vekic but Riske was able to make it anything but. Playing with a closed roof certainly helped the American, an advantage she won’t have against Ivana Jorovic. Though, I don’t think Riske will need much to help her move on to the third round against the young Serb.
Prediction: Riske in 2
Riske was handed a tough first-round draw up against Donna Vekic, but played an excellent match to edge out the Croatian in three. The American is never more at home than when on a grass court and it is hard to see her encountering too many problems against the comparatively untested Serbian Jorovic.
Prediction: Riske in 2
Alison Riske is in really good form on the grass this year. Don’t put too much stock into her near-loss in Round 1, since Donna Vekic is also a very good player. Jorovic struggled a bit in her opening match as well, albeit against a much weaker player. Riske should move through this and into the third round.
Prediction: Riske in 2
Tracey:
As she readily admits, grass is not Sloane Stephens’ best surface. It’s those mental lapses which Stephens cannot afford. But, I think the American is good enough to get to the third round.
Prediction: Stephens in 2
Jim:
Stephens counter-punching game is better-suited to slower surfaces, but the American is such a formidable athlete and clean ball striker that she can do damage wherever she plays. Wang has had a fine season, but Stephens should be able to overpower her in this one.
Prediction: Stephens in 2
Yesh:
Don’t be surprised to see an upset here. Stephens has never taken well to the grass, and Wang can be a very tricky opponent. I also don’t think the pressure of pulling off an upset at Wimbledon will get to Wang. I think we see our first American seed fall.
Prediction: Wang in 3
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