There has been plenty of exciting action so far at Wimbledon and that should continue on day three with a host of star names set to take to the courts at the All England Club. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match, including Tallon Griekspoor vs Carlos Alcaraz, Andy Murray vs John Isner and Novak Djokovic vs Thanasi Kokkinakis. But who will reach the third round?
Wimbledon Day 3 Predictions
Tim van Rijthoven vs Reilly Opelka
Jim: Reilly Opelka’s serve should keep him competitive in this match, but Tim van Rijthoven will not make things easy for the American. The champion in Den Bosch, van Rijthoven looks at home on the grass and his sliced backhand is likely to cause the 6’11” Opelka some serious problems. If he can keep his nerve, expect the Dutchman to be the player to reach the third round.
Prediction: van Rijthoven in 5
Damian: Opelka’s grass-court game isn’t nearly as dangerous as it seems. The serve is huge, but the low bounces and little time to prepare his strokes don’t suit the American. We’ll see if van Rijthoven can repeat his ‘s-Hertogenbosch form, but his chipped return and knifing backhand slices could prove to be the key assets in this one.
Prediction: van Rijthoven in 4
Jakub: The surprise Den Bosch champion made good on his wildcard as he defeated Federico Delbonis. Opelka also won in straight sets over Taberner, breaking a four-match losing streak. The American did not look great on grass coming in here which makes me lean towards Van Rijthoven as a favorite.
Prediction: Van Rijthoven in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Jannik Sinner vs Mikael Ymer
Jim: Jannik Sinner handled the potentially tough test of Stan Wawrinka adroitly, but the Italian is still clearly finding his feet on the grass. Mikael Ymer will pose a very different challenge to the Swiss, but it could be another difficult day at the office for Sinner. Still, the Italian’s quality should eventually tell.
Prediction: Sinner in 4
Damian: Sinner finally grabbed his first grass-court tour-level over Wawrinka, but can he keep the run going? It’s not going to be that easy against Ymer, who’s famous for making Grand Slam third rounds a bit out of nowhere. The level the Italian display so far could be suggesting that maybe his grass game is improving though.
Prediction: Sinner in 5
Jakub: Sinner finally got his first tour-level win on grass but did so in style, taking out Stan Wawrinka in four sets. The Italian will have a good shot to go further with Mikael Ymer as his next opponent. The Swede beat Daniel Altmaier, who is mostly a clay courter, in the first round.
Prediction: Sinner in 3
Embed from Getty Images
David Goffin vs Sebastian Baez
Jim: Sebastian Baez is the better player of this pair at the moment, but on grass David Goffin may well have the edge. The surface suits his flat groundstrokes, particularly his forehand, and his excellent return is also usually rewarded. It could probably go either way, but the Belgian’s greater grass-court pedigree should be the difference.
Prediction: Goffin in 4
Damian: It was an impressive display from Goffin to not drop a single set against the potential banana skin in Radu Albot. Baez was also in fine form dispatching Taro Daniel, but even at his very best he’s not the same calibre of a grass-courter as the Belgian, who’s been in the quarterfinals here before and loves taking the ball early.
Prediction: Goffin in 4
Jakub: Goffin, a former-quarterfinalist at Wimbledon, started his tournament well. The Belgian defeated dangerous qualifier Radu Albot in straight sets and has clay-court specialist Baez next. The Argentine surprised with his win over Taro Daniel but it is tough to see a deep run from him on grass.
Prediction: Goffin in 4
Embed from Getty Images
Ryan Peniston vs Steve Johnson
Jim: What a chance this is for Ryan Peniston. Steve Johnson has previously reached the second week at Wimbledon and been ranked as high as world #21, but the American is not the force he once was and was perhaps lucky to benefit from Grigor Dimitrov’s groin injury in the first round. Peniston will need to manage his nerves, but do that and should be able to book his place in the third round.
Prediction: Peniston in 4
Damian: From being rather unknown to the general public before the grass season, Peniston has taken his solid game to the main tour and so far won two matches in every single event he played during this campaign. He needs one more to keep it up against Johnson, who benefitted from Dimitrov’s retirement. He’s got a great chance to do it.
Prediction: Peniston in 4
Jakub: After a strong grass season with quarterfinals at four consecutive events including wins over Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, or Jack Draper, Peniston got his first Wimbledon main draw wild card. The Brit, who beat cancer as a child, won comfortably on his Slam debut against Henri Laaksonen. He will have a good chance to go even further as he faces Johnson next, who got a retirement win over Dimitrov. The American veteran has had a second-week run here, but I see the British wildcard winning again.
Prediction: Peniston in 4
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
