It should be an entertaining third day at Wimbledon, though that will require the weather to cooperate. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering your our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Novak Djokovic vs Jordan Thompson, Hubert Hurkacz vs Jan Choinski, and Andrey Rublev vs Aslan Karatsev. But who will come out on top?
Wimbledon Day 3 Predictions
Casper Ruud vs Liam Broady
Jim: Casper Ruud somehow managed to throw away a commanding second set lead against Laurent Lokoli, but it was otherwise a very satisfying day for the Norwegian. He will have the crowd against him when he takes on Liam Broady, who put a very solid performance himself against Constant Lestienne, and will need to guard against similar lapses. But Ruud is the better player, by a distance, and should have enough.
Prediction: Ruud in 4
Yesh: Ruud didn’t look like he hates grass in his opening match. I wouldn’t say he loves it, but he’s playing well enough that he should keep advancing until the competition level rises.
Prediction: Ruud in 4
Damian: It’s a good draw for Ruud as other than his round three last year, Broady has never done that well on grass. He has that nasty flat backhand though and could be tricky for the Norwegian. This is probably where we’ll see what Ruud is made of here as the opener vs Lokoli simply wasn’t any indication.
Prediction: Ruud in 4
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Lorenzo Musetti vs Jaume Munar
Jim: Both of these men are more comfortable on the clay, but Lorenzo Musetti has shown rather more aptittude for the grass than the Spaniard. Jaume Munar’s win over the big-serving John Isner may look impressive at first glance, but Isner has never been particularly comfortable on the grass (2018 aside) and is not the player he once was.
Prediction: Musetti in 3
Yesh: Ruud: Munar is not built for grass. He got a bit lucky facing an Isner who looks like his career might be over. Musetti is a future star, and should easily take this.
Prediction: Musetti in 3
Damian: Musetti has been awesome on grass this year, especially considering he was yet to win a professional match on it before this season began. What’s been especially surprising is the quality of his flat first serve, but the craftiness is also shining through. He should advance here with relative ease.
Prediction: Musetti in 4
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Alexander Bublik vs JJ Wolf
Jim: This should be an entertaining match. JJ Wolf is probably the better player, or at least the more reliable performer, but Alexander Bublik’s game is well-suited to grass and he presents an unusual challenge to opponents. Expect the Kazakh to have the edge here.
Prediction: Bublik in 4
Yesh: Wolf seems to like his limited experience on grass, but Bublik is in the midst of the best run of his mercurial career. I can’t see that ending in this one.
Prediction: Bublik in 4
Damian: Bublik broke the Halle curse of all non-Federer Halle champions since 2011 losing in the opening round of Wimbledon. The way he handled adversity against Mackenzie McDonald makes you think he’s in it for the long haul. This is such a serve-oriented matchup, but Bublik just seems trustworthy at the moment, which could be misleading.
Prediction: Bublik in 5
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Jannik Sinner vs Diego Schwartzman
Jim: Jannik Sinner delivered a statement in the first round, hammering Juan Manuel Cerundolo for the loss of only six games (the Argentine failing to mirror his elder brother’s comfort on the grass). Diego Schwartzman would have been a real underdog in this match in his pomp. Right now, it is difficult to see him winning a set.
Prediction: Sinner in 3
Sinner has a game that should be amazing on grass. It isn’t yet, but it’s getting there, and Schwartzman isn’t the right person to stop him.
Prediction: Sinner in 4
Damian: What a win for Schwartzman to dismantle Miomir Kecmanovic like that. He’s actually getting some wins on grass despite his slump recently and the baseline game has bite on it again. Sinner is likely to be a step too far though and the Italian should be only scarcely less comfortable here than in his opener vs Cerundolo.
Prediction: Sinner in 3
Main photo credit: Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports
