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 Andrey Rublev vs Lloyd Harris, and the third features Novak Djokovic vs Kevin Anderson. Predicting this set of matches are Yesh Ginsburg, Damian Kust, and Steen Kirby.
Wimbledon Day 3 Men’s Predictions
Fabio Fognini vs Laslo Djere
Damian:
Fognini once asked for Wimbledon to be bombed, but the Italian’s insane shotmaking works well on every surface. Djere won a clay-court specialists battle with Cuevas but he should be outmatched here.
Prediction: Fognini in 3
Yesh:
Fognini is the epitome of a mercurial player. You never know at all what you get with him. However, he does seem to keep his focus better in bigger events, and there’s nothing bigger than Wimbledon. It doesn’t hurt that his opponent is one he should beat, too.
Prediction: Fognini in 3
Steen:
Djere’s grass court record leaves plenty to be desired. Fognini has more experience and success on this surface and he should be able to attack and take this match on. Djere did win a match on clay this year but I’m not sure how much of a factor that is outside of confidence for the Serbian.
Prediction: Fognini in 3
Dan Evans vs Dujan Lajovic
Damian:
Aesthetically pleasing for sure, but Evans has the much better grass-court skillset with his slice and great volleying. Lajovic has been badly out of form too and a five-set win over the veteran Simon doesn’t magically change that.
Prediction: Evans in 3
Yesh:
The Brit is living up to his billing as British #1 quite well. He’s also blessed with a good draw here. Evans does well on the grass, and this is a match he absolutely should win without trouble.
Prediction: Evans in 3
Steen:
Evans has the head-to-head edge. Lajovic has struggled on grass historically and Evans is playing at home with the crowd behind him. After two grass court quarterfinals, this is an opportunity for Evans to make a run and improve upon two previous third-round showings.
Prediction: Evans in 4
Denis Shapovalov vs Pablo Andujar
Damian:
Grass should allow Shapovalov to play his attacking tennis with enough efficiency to hit through Andujar. Both struggled mightily in their first rounds, but Shapovalov spent a lot less time on the court. That might come in handy in case it goes long, but it’s unlikely to.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 4
Yesh:
Shapovalov doesn’t do anything superlative on grass, but he is solid and effective. While prone to forms of poor play, the Canadian is a legitimate threat to anyone when at his best. Andujar just got through a brutal opening match, so don’t expect too much from him here.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 3
Steen:
Shapovalov won their only meeting in routine fashion and is much better on grass. Anything is possible after they both won matches in five sets, but the Canadian has every reason to feel and play with confidence, hoping to finish this match off quickly after his long Round 1 match.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 3
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