After an entertaining, if rain disrupted, first week at Wimbledon, the action continues on day seven at the Championships with four intriguing fourth-round matches in SW19. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including in the women’s singles, but who will book their spot in the last eight?
Wimbledon Day 7 Predictions
Jannik Sinner vs Daniel Elahi Galan
Jim: It’s been a great effort by Daniel Elahi Galan, typically more at home on the clay, to reach this stage. Of course, the difference between grass and clay is not what it once was, but playing on the grass still requires an adaptation and it was Galan has managed impressively. Unfortunately for the Colombian, Jannik Sinner has a game pretty much built for the grass. This is where Galan’s run ends.
Prediction: Sinner in 3
Jordan: Sinner had a slight scare against Laurent Lokoli before coming through well in the end. This may be similar. Galan is somewhat mercurial, capable of brilliance one minute then dropping his level substantially the next. I think he will take a set from the Italian, but Sinner overall will be too strong.
Prediction: Sinner in 4
Damian: Sinner survived his tough third round against Halys and gets a great opportunity to keep going here. Galan’s not your usual clay specialist with the serve and forehand combination, so his success on grass is very explainable. I don’t think he has the quality to take out Sinner though and expect the Italian to edge this with relative ease.
Prediction: Sinner in 3
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Roman Safiullin vs Denis Shapovalov
Jim: Roman Safiullin is playing great tennis and he can really threaten Denis Shapovalov here. That said Canadian should still be accounted the favourite here. He’s a former Wimbledon semifinalist for a reason and when he gets on a roll on the grass, his easy power makes him hard to live with. But expect it to be close.
Prediction: Shapavalov in 5
Jordan: It is great to see Shapovalov back playing some good tennis. He did well to overcome Casper Ruud’s conqueror Liam Broady in the third round. Safiullin has achieved best result at a Grand Slam by reaching the round of 16 and will be a tricky competitor. The Canadian to win a close one.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 5
Damian: The best-of-five format is where we’ve seen the best of Shapovalov this year and for a good reason. The Canadian’s erratic style is prone to poor patches of play and dropping a set in the longer matches doesn’t mean as much. We might see another one of these here with Safiullin putting enough pressure on him to snatch a set, but eventually going down.
Prediction: Shapovalov in 4
Andrey Rublev vs Alexander Bublik
Jim: Three weeks ago, Alexander Bublik got the better of Andrey Rublev in the final in Halle – will he repeat the trick at Wimbledon? You would think he’ll like his chances, but beating Rublev over the course of five sets is a bigger ask for the Kazakh. Still, given how well he’s playing, he has to be the favourite coming into the match.
Prediction: Rublev in 3
Jordan: This is a dangerous match for the seventh seed Rublev. Bublik’s mercurial style is perfectly suited to the grass, and there is a threat that the easily frustrated Rublev could beat himself in a match up like this, where he may not be sure what to expect next from the other end of the court. But I’m going to back him to stay cool enough to reach his first Wimbledon quarterfinal.
Prediction: Rublev in 4
Damian: Bublik has been so mature this Wimbledon, despite the burden of entering a Slam with high expectations for the very first time. It’s somewhat surprising and very impressive considering he’s usually not that strong mentally. Rublev was his opponent in the Halle final and if he keeps that up, he should be able to take him out again.
Prediction: Bublik in 4
Novak Djokovic vs Hubert Hurkacz
Jim: Novak Djokovic hasn’t played his best tennis yet, but there hasn’t been much need for it in his wins over Pedro Cachin, Jordan Thompson and Stan Wawrinka. He will need to raise his game against Hubert Hurkacz. The Pole has a fine record on the grass and is a good enough player to really test Djokovic. But will he beat the great Serbian? Probably not.
Prediction: Djokovic in 4
Jordan: I think this is a more dangerous match for Djokovic than many think. Hurkacz leads the tour for aces this season, and has not been broken in his first three matches. He’s one of a very small number of players who can keep Djokovic at bay on serve, although only if he serves at his absolute maximum. I’m still backing Djokovic, but I think he will get something of a scare from the Pole, provided Hurkacz is also aggressive with the rest of his game.
Prediction: Djokovic in 5
Damian: Hurkacz is one of the few players who could actually touch Djokovic on grass right now. Big serve coupled with net play and impressive consistency. Two issues though – the Serbian is an absolute machine right now (or more accurately, has been for years) and it would require Hurkacz to play a lot more freely than he usually does. He comes in with a nothing to lose attitude and maybe a chance could open up.
Prediction: Djokovic in 4
Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
