Day 3 of Wimbledon this year will see a lot more than the scheduled 16 men’s matches. Due to the rain the first few days, plenty of matches have been pushed off from Tuesday to Wednesday (and some of Monday’s matches aren’t done yet). We’ve already shared our thoughts on those matches with you, so today we present our predictions for the 16 Round 2 matches scheduled. We look at four matches in this article, and the other 12 are split between three other articles. One features Andy Murray vs Oscar Otte, the second headlines Novak Djokovic vs Kevin Anderson, and the third features Denis Shapovalov vs Pablo Andujar. Predicting this set of matches are Jim Smith, Damian Kust, and Steen Kirby.
Wimbledon Day 3 Men’s Predictions
Miomir Kecmanovic vs Roberto Bautista Agut
Damian:
Bautista Agut’s flatter shots work so well on the grass, but the Spaniard has been out of form recently. I’m confident he can play himself into form, though, especially as the draw seems to be opening up a bit for a decent chance at repeating his semifinal run from two years ago.
Prediction: Bautista Agut in 4
Jim:
It has been a season to forget for the most part for Miomir Kecmanovic, but he deserves credit for his performance in his four-set win over Facundo Bagnis. It is hard to see him backing it up against Roberto Bautista Agut, however. The Spaniard has also not been at his best this season, but his game is almost tailor-made for the grass and there is little in Kecmanovic’s game that he will fear.
Prediction: Bautista Agut in 3
Steen:
Bautista Agut leads the H2H 2-0. His win over Millman shows his promise on the grass and Kecmanovic doesn’t have the same upside in his game on this surface. Bautista Agut is set to make the third round with this matchup.
Prediction: Bautista Agut in 3
Diego Schwartzman vs Liam Broady
Damian:
Broady has a lot of matches played on grass, but he’s never been great on this surface. It’s been a great season for him, but I think the sheer quality of Schwartzman’s rallying skills might be too much for him, even though the Argentinian also doesn’t enjoy himself much on the lawn.
Prediction: Schwartzman in 4
Jim:
Liam Broady scored a relatively rare tour-level win by dismissing the clay-courter Marco Cecchinato in the first round. He comes up against another man more comfortable on the clay than the grass in Diego Schwartzman, but the Argentine is a very different proposition to Cecchinato. It is hard to see where Broady will be able to make inroads against Schwartzman.
Prediction: Schwartzman in 3
Steen:
Schwatzman’s record on grass is limited, although he’s a better player than Broady in most circumstances. The home fans will have high hopes for Broady, and he did look great in the first round. Grass has a way of narrowing differences between players and producing upsets. Schwartzman is vulnerable and should be on upset alert here.
Prediction: Broady in 5
Andreas Seppi vs Denis Kudla
Damian:
Kudla is one of the few grass-court specialists left on the circuit and he’s been on fire even since this part of the season started. In case it ends up dragging into a slugfest, he should also be better prepared physically than the couple of years older Italian.
Prediction: Kudla in 5
Jim:
Denis Kudla has perhaps underachieved, at least compared with what his junior career suggested he might accomplish. But the American can certainly play on the grass and, after impressing in the qualifying, he showed great heart to battle past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. If he can recover in time, he should have a good chance up against Andreas Seppi, who is not the force he once was.
Prediction: Kudla in 4
Steen:
The H2H is split 1-1 and both players enjoy playing on grass. Kudla is coming off a long five-set match and the qualifying rounds, though, while Seppi reached the quarters in Eastbourne and should have a bit more pep in his step. Advantage Seppi, although Kudla is a tricky opponent.
Prediction: Seppi in 4
Andrey Rublev vs Lloyd Harris
Damian:
Rublev’s first-round match was a struggle and the Russian is clearly not as comfortable on the grass as on the other surfaces. He’s still a substantial favorite here, but if Harris can make it all about the serves, it doesn’t have to be that comfortable.
Prediction: Rublev in 4
Jim:
This should be a watchable match. But Andrey Rublev must be considered the heavy favorite. Lloyd Harris has an excellent serve and a forehand that is worthy of respect, but he is not the most solid and consistent of players. Up against a player who can do damage with both his forehand and backhand, the South African may well struggle.
Prediction: Rublev in 4
Steen:
Rublev leads the H2H 1-0. Harris reached the quarters in Halle and is capable on this surface, but Rublev was a finalist at the same venue and is playing some excellent tennis right now. He’s definitely a player to watch as the draw narrows down.
Prediction: Rublev in 4
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
