The third round of Wimbledon begins on Day 5. At the end of the day, eight men will have booked their Manic Monday spots. But who will those eight men be? Our writers share their thoughts on all the matches. We predict four matches in this article and four matches in a separate article. Predicting today’s matches are Harsh Bhoot, Damian Kust, and Yesh Ginsburg.
Wimbledon Day 5 Men’s Predictions
Dan Evans vs Sebastian Korda
Harsh:
This should be an interesting one. While fellow Brit Andy Murray has had it tough do far, Dan Evans has managed to slide under the radar and in two straight sets victory. Unfortunately for the Brit, none of those two opponents can quite match the firepower that Sebastian Korda brings. The American has already taken out the fifteenth seed and knows he possesses the game to go ahead. Expect a tight contest and if Korda’s superior serve holds up, the American should go through.
Prediction: Korda in 5
Damian:
Evans has gone untested so far but he is surely going to have a harder time pouncing here. Korda’s slowly developing into a real elite player and while he might not be there just yet, he is already a big threat to go deep at the majors. Evans has that great set of grass court tools that can help him to disrupt rhythm though and I expect his backhand slice will make Korda leak errors a bit. The youngster is definitely not without a shot though.
Prediction: Evans in 4
Yesh:
Korda is very quickly becoming a top player. He’s adjusting fine to the grass and his powerful game should give Evans all he can handle. Maybe inexperience at this stage will catch up to the young American, but I expect him to handle the situation just fine.
Prediction: Korda in 4
Marton Fucsovics vs Diego Schwartzman
Harsh:
Diego Schwartzman has settled in nicely at this year’s Wimbledon. The Argentine’s best results have come on clay but he’s perfectly capable of flattening out his ground strokes to be extremely effective on grass. His serve has let him down at times but even if that happens in patches, Marton Fucsovics will find himself out rallied more often than not.
Prediction: Schwartzman in 4
Damian:
Schwartzman took advantage of a great draw but this is where the issues will start. Fucsovics is not a grass-court specialist himself and this is a brilliant opportunity for both. Neither is fully comfortable with dictating the play but the Hungarian should have the upper hand in most of the rallies on this surface.
Prediction: Fucsovics in 5
Yesh:
Fucsovics is a solid player who has the power to make anyone uncomfortable. Schwartzman loves counterpunching against guys like Fucsovics, but it’s harder on grass. This should be tight and really could go either way, but I’d expect the Argentine to stay more calm under pressure.
Prediction: Schwartzman in 5
Roberto Bautista Agut vs Dominik Koepfer
Harsh:
Roberto Bautista Agut is seeded eighth here but he’s already had his fair share of struggles. The Spaniard almost blew away a two sets to love lead in his second round and it just feels like he’s not very confident in his game. His next opponent is Dominik Koepfer who seems to be on a good run lately in grand slams. The German gave Roger Federer a great test at the French Open and he’s already taken out Reilly Opelka in the first round. Expect Bautista Agut to give his all as he always does but Koepfer looks likely to take the victory.
Prediction: Koepfer in 5
Damian:
The Spaniard’s been out of form and it shows in how tough his first two rounds here were. His flatter strokes usually work very on grass, highlighted by his semifinal run from 2019. But at this point in time, Bautista Agut seems to be vulnerable to an upset and someone like Koepfer could provide it. The German is ready to make it a slugfest and this is likely going to be another long, physical battle Bautista Agut will need to take in order to go deep here. Perhaps one too many.
Prediction: Koepfer in 5
Yesh:
Koepfer has been so impressive the last few years after his transition from college tennis to the pros. He impressed at the French Open and is playing well here so far. Unfortunately. Roberto Bautista Agut is too solid, and he likes the grass just fine.
Prediction: Bautista Agut in 4
Novak Djokovic vs Denis Kudla
Harsh:
Novak Djokovic looks like the man to beat–unsurprisingly, perhaps, given his performance this year. The Serb has been clinical since the first set against Jack Draper and exhibits no signs of stopping. Denis Kudla has played a decent tournament so far but Djokovic should prove too strong against a player he’s beaten two out of two times.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Damian:
The American might be a grass-court specialist, but most of his assets kind of play into Djokovic’s hands. He is very comfortable at extending the rallies but will not have the firepower to just blow the World No. 1 off the court. This should be similar to their 2019 encounter where Kudla won some beautiful rallies with his low-skidding backhand but was comfortably outplayed in the long run.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Yesh:
Kudla is fine on grass, and he always plays well at Wimbledon, but nothing in his game can challenge Djokovic. Djokovic can give away a set if he plays poorly, but this will entirely depend on the World #1’s level.
Prediction: Djokovic in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
