Despite the grey skies in south-west London, it’s been an entertaining start to the 2023 edition of Wimbledon. With a number of star names, there should be plenty more exciting tennis for the fans to enjoy on day four and, as ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Andy Murray vs Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev vs Adrian Mannarino and Carlos Alcaraz vs Alexandre Muller. But who will reach the last 32?
Wimbledon Day 4 Predictions
Taylor Fritz vs Mikael Ymer
Yesh: Taylor Fritz is a top 10 player. It’s been quiet because being Top 10 isn’t enough to challenge for Slams nowadays, but he should beat most players, even an in-form Mikail Ymer.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Damian: Fritz survived his five-setter against Hanfmann in the opening round, but the good news for him is that it was probably the toughest opponent he’ll have to face in the first week. Ymer moves so efficiently on the grass and can pull off wins despite the lack of weaponry. He’ll hang with the American for a while, but likely doesn’t have the game to win.
Prediction: Fritz in 4
Jakub: After a long long break, Taylor Fritz managed to close out the fifth set over Yannick Hanfmann. Ymer won comfortably against Alex Molcan and though Fritz looked to be there for the taking in the first round but I would be surprised if the Swede troubles him too much.
Prediction: Fritz in 4
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Francisco Cerundolo vs Jiri Lehecka
Yesh: Francisco Cerundolo looks in good form and he’s only improving. The sky is the limit for the young Argentine, and he’s still rising.
Prediction: Cerundolo in 4
Damian: Cerundolo’s first match since claiming the Eastbourne title was far from perfect, but he’s definitely very high on confidence right now. Lehecka’s a tough draw though and especially after the Czech has just straight-setted Ofner. The 21-year-old has a more flexible grass game too with all-court tactics and relentless aggression.
Prediction: Lehecka in 4
Jakub: Cerundolo is riding a five-match winning streak after beating Tommy Paul in the Eastbourne final and coming back from a set down against Nuno Borges in the Wimbledon opener. Lehecka did not have an ideal preparation, going 2-2 in his warm-up events, but looked really good against Sebastian Ofner in his straight-set win. This is a coin flip for me but based off of the first rounds, I will go with the Czech.
Prediction: Lehecka in 5
Grigor Dimitrov vs Ilya Ivashka
Yesh: Grigor Dimitrov is past his prime, but he still has a fluid overall game that is suited for grass courts. Ilya Ivashka’s big serve will challenge him, but the overall Dimitrov game should get him through.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 4
Damian: Dimitrov has been extremely consistent this year, only losing to top-quality opposition. He’s taking his chances and the draw at Wimbledon sure presented him with one. With Ivashka in very mediocre form (and having dropped a set to Federico Coria in the first round), this looks like a straightforward Dimitrov victory.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 3
Jakub: After having the first protestor interruption of the tournament, Dimitrov continued to dominate, dropping just four games to Sho Shimabukuro in his opener. The Bulgarian is looking to get to the third round at Wimbledon for the first time since 2017 and will have a good chance against Ivashka. The Belarusian has had good runs on grass before but went 1-3 in the warm-ups and dropped a set to Federico Coria.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 4
Ben Shelton vs Laslo Djere
Jakub: Shelton impressed in his opener against Taro Daniel but will face a very efficient return player in Laslo Djere, who overcame Maxime Cressy in four tiebreaks. The Serb was helped by Cressy hitting almost as many double faults as aces but it still took a good performance from Djere to close the match out just minutes before the curfew. This will be a tougher challenge for Shelton but I still see the American coming through here to face Andy Murray or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round.
Prediction: Shelton in 5
Yesh: Even with a two-set walkabout in his opener, Ben Shelton has clearly found his range on the grass. Djere is a solid player, but Shelton is a rising star. The American, as long as he keeps his wits about him, should have more than enough to set yet another early career milestone.
Prediction: Shelton in 4
Damian: Shelton’s year is more about getting the experience (especially on clay and grass), but soon enough the results must start coming. This wouldn’t be a bad place to start. Djere isn’t particularly good on grass either, but he’s gritty and already defeated Shelton in Cagliari this year. The youngster will have to be careful.
Prediction: Shelton in 5
Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
