Day 2 at Wimbledon will see the conclusion of the first round. That means there are 32 men’s matches on offer on Tuesday, and–as always–we here at LWOT will share our thoughts on all of them with you. We split the day’s 32 matches between eight articles. The other seven articles feature Carlos Alcaraz vs Jeremy Chardy, Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dominic Thiem, Holger Rune vs George Loffhagen, Alex de Minaur vs Kimmer Coppejans, Daniil Medvedev vs Arthur Fery, Cameron Norrie vs Tomas Machac, and Andy Murray vs Ryan Peniston. Predicting this set of matches are Shane Black, Jakub Bobro, Damian Kust. Who do you think will advance?
Wimbledon Day 2 Men’s Predictions
Arthur Fils vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Shane:
No. 31 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will take on 19-year-old French wildcard Arthur Fils in Round 1. ADF beat the youngster at the French Open earlier this year and will look to do it again on Tuesday. Fils is 4-1 on the grass this season and has taken a liking to the surface. This should be a very back-and-forth match, but I see the young Frenchman doing enough to complete the upset.
Prediction: Fils in 5
Jakub:
A rematch of their Roland Garros clash. Fils’ game should work on grass while Davidovich Fokina lost to Pavel Kotov in Mallorca last week. Expect an attractive clash with the Spaniard pulling through in the end.
Prediction: Davidovich Fokina in 5
Damian:
This was a Round 1 at Roland Garros as well and it ended up being slightly disappointing with Fils just slightly gassed and unable to hit through Davidovich Fokina on clay. His ultra-heavy forehand isn’t a natural fit for grass, but he’ll probably give him more trouble here.
Prediction: Davidovich Fokina in 5
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Tommy Paul vs Shintaro Mochizuki
Shane:
Tommy Paul is starting to re-find some form as he holds a 6-3 record during the 2023 grass season. 20-year-old Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki has a bright future in the sport but will find little success against the American in London.
Prediction: Paul in 3
Jakub:
Tommy Paul has emerged as a pretty good grass player, facing Junior champion and qualifier Mochizuki, who allowed Zsombor Piros just eight games in the final qualifying round. Paul should still win but Mochizuki will be an interesting test.
Prediction: Paul in 4
Damian:
Paul was hampered by something in his final against Cerundolo in Eastbourne, so we’ll see how that pans out. If he’s fit, he should be taking this one. Mochizuki is a former Wimbledon juniors champion, but he can’t utilize his excellent feel for the ball if he’s getting rushed and overpowered.
Prediction: Paul in 4
Tallon Griekspoor vs Marton Fucsovics
Shane:
allon Griekspoor and Marton Fucsovics square off in what should be a very entertaining Round 1 battle. Griekspoor is on fire of late, holding a 7-1 grass-court record this season. Fucsovics is also 7-1 on the surface and will certainly not be intimated by the moment. I see this match going the distance, but give the Dutchman the slight advantage.
Prediction: Griekspoor in 5
Jakub:
Very tough first round for both, Griekspoor finding form in the warm-ups while Fucsovics is a former quarterfinalist at Wimbledon. This should be a high-level contest and I see Fucsovics edging it.
Prediction: Fucsovics in 5
Damian:
What a match. I’m not going to pretend to be smart here, I’ve got no clue who’s winning this one. Griekspoor with the big game and excellent form in the warm-ups against one of the best knifing backhand slices in the sport. The winner of this one can go really far.
Prediction: Griekspoor in 5
Frances Tiafoe vs Yibing Wu
Shane:
Frances Tiafoe always bring his best tennis to the Slams. Yibing Wu is just 1-3 in his career on the grass. Tiafoe’s serve and baseline power will allow him to control this encounter.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 3
Jakub:
Wu beat Nick Kyrgios in the Australian’s only match of this grass season, so he should test Tiafoe early here. I still expect the American to come through though.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 4
Damian:
This should be a clinic of aggressive ball-striking. Tiafoe has a pretty rough draw with this and then a big server in Stricker or Popyrin. Can’t really pick against him with his form in the warm-ups, but Wu is obviously extremely dangerous on his day.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 5
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
