Day four at the All England Club should feature plenty of entertaining tennis. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Ashleigh Barty vs Anna Blinkova, Daria Kasatkina vs Jelena Ostapenko and Andrea Petkovic vs Barbora Krejcikova. But who will reach the third round at Wimbledon?
Wimbledon Day 4 Predictions
Victoria Azarenka vs Sorana Cirstea
Jim: This should be a good match with both players having been in impressive form of late. But of the two, it is Victoria Azarenka who is better equipped for grass-court tennis. The Belarusian is an aggressive returner and excels at taking the ball early. This may be close, but expect the former-world #1 to have the edge.
Prediction: Azarenka in 3
Damian: Discounting all her withdrawals this year, Azarenka is looking so impressive whenever she actually goes out on the court. That was definitely the case in her opening-round win over Kateryna Kozlova and Cirstea is not that good on the grass anyway.
Prediction: Azarenka in 2
Fraser: This should be a great match to watch. Neither player is at their most comfortable on grass courts but both have looked good so far in London. Azarenka is a big stage performer and will expect a deep run here given her results in the last 12 months. She is a Grand Slam winner and now a contender at Wimbledon this year given the withdrawals and injuries that have removed some of her biggest obstacles on the road to the title. Expect her to take at least one step closer.
Prediction: Azarenka in 2
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Ajla Tomljanovic vs Alize Cornet
Jim: Alize Cornet was exceptional in her first-round win over Bianca Andreescu – even if the fifth seed was not at her best. Will she be able to back it up against Ajla Tomljanovic? She has probably been playing better tennis of late than the Australian and she has the advantage in terms of experience.
Prediction: Cornet in 3
Damian: Cornet’s routing of Andreescu was rather impressive, although the Canadian was really uncomfortable on the grass. This is another matchup where she’ll likely spend most of her time on the back foot and although it should be tougher, she seems well-equipped to keep going.
Prediction: Cornet in 3
Fraser: Cornet has looked seriously dangerous on grass in recent weeks, stringing together some fine results on the surface ahead of a mightily impressive win against an out-of-touch Andreescu in her last match. Tomljanovic is a dangerous opponent who shouldn’t be taken lightly, but Cornet has shown enough to be the pick to come through here.
Prediction: Cornet in 3
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Kristyna Pliskova vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Jim: After the disappointment of losing in the final at the French Open (and in the first round in Eastbourne) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will surely have been very pleased with her 6-2 6-2 win over Ana Bogdan. Kristyna Pliskova’s big serve should help her stay slightly more competitive, but this is still a match one would expect Pavlyuchenkova to win relatively comfortably.
Prediction: Pavlyuchenkova in 2
Damian: It’s still uncertain how successfully Pavlyuchenkova has reset mentally after the best run of her career at the French Open, but her first-round win was rather convincing. It’s her worst slam and outside of one quarterfinal appearance, she’s never done well at SW19. This leaves the opportunity for an upset from the lefty Pliskova sister. She’d need to have an absolutely terrific serving day though.
Prediction: Pavlyuchenkova in 3
Fraser: Pavlyuchenkova has to be the favourite here. The Russian is coming off her career best performance in a Grand Slam, having made the finals of the French Open earlier this year. Pliskova has a big serve which makes her a tricky opponent on the quicker grass courts. However, Pavlyuchenkova does just about everything else better than the Czech does. Expect her to advance comfortably.
Prediction: Pavlyuchenkova in 2
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Yulia Putintseva vs Paula Badosa
Jim: Paula Badosa made a return to winning ways by getting the better of her compatriot Aliona Bolsova, but she will have her work cut out for her here. Yulia Putintseva looked very sharp in beating the lucky loser Tsvetana Pironkova, who was a semifinalist at the All England Club in 2010. Still, Putintseva’s game remains poorly suited to the grass. Badosa should have the edge.
Prediction: Badosa in 3
Damian: Putintseva’s straightforward win over Pironkova was more due to the Bulgarian’s struggles, rather than her own excellence. Badosa’s game naturally translates to grass a lot better and she should be able to pounce here.
Prediction: Badosa in 2
Fraser: Putintseva dismissed one-time Wimbledon specialist Pironkova in her first match. She lacks a dominant serve, but can mix her game up better than most on this surface and that will come in handy. Badosa has been one of the in-form players in the women’s game this year, particularly on clay. The Spaniard looked slightly less comfortable on grass in her first match, but came through in the end. However, I don’t think she has enough on grass to get passed the tougher test of Putintseva.
Prediction: Putintseva in 2
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