Day 3 of Wimbledon sees the start of the women’s second round. This half of the draw was absolutely crushed in Round 1, and who knows what surprises await us in Round 2. There are 16 matches on Wednesday, and we here at LastWordOnTennis share our predictions on all of them for you. We split the 16 matches between four articles. The other three articles feature Coco Gauff vs Anca Todoni, Madison Keys vs Yafan Wang, and Emma Raducanu vs Elise Mertens. Predicting these matches are Jordan Reynolds, Damian Kust, and Manuel Traquete. Who do you think will win?
Wimbledon Day 3 Predictions
Daria Kasatkina vs Yuriko Miyazaki
Jordan:
Miyazaki impressed against Tamara Korpatsch in the last round. However, Kasatkina is a major step up in class. The recent Eastbourne International champion has won her last six matches, and she will be tough to beat at Wimbledon. Miyazaki is not the player to do it.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 2
Damian:
Kasatkina has just won Eastbourne and she should be a threat at Wimbledon as well. She can be overpowered on grass but has so many ways of mixing up play on these courts. It was great for Miyazaki to win that match vs Korpatsch and get the best moment of her career, but taking out Kasatkina would be a completely different level.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 2
Manuel:
On paper, this is one of the most one-sided matches of this round; Kasatkina is not only ranked over 100 spots ahead of Miyazaki but she also comes into this tournament fresh off a title run in Eastbourne. She should make it through to the next round with relative ease here.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
Paula Badosa vs Brenda Fruhvirtova
Jordan:
Fruhvirtova’s performance in the last two sets against her fellow teenager Mirra Andreeva understandably generated a lot of attention. The Czech possesses the ability to negate Badosa’s power if she is at her best again. But I feel experience might be key in what I expect to be a tight battle. Badosa to be slightly stronger in the big moments to prevail.
Prediction: Badosa in 3
Damian:
Fruhvirtova getting Andreeva out of the tournament was such a big win and she found herself extremely well in the intricacies of that matchup. It might be tougher for her to perform against a more seasoned pro and a more aggressive player like Badosa though. It’s the same old story with the Spaniard – when she’s healthy, her quality is immense.
Prediction: Badosa in 2
Manuel:
Although the two players are close ranking-wise, Badosa is clearly far better than what her ranking suggests and should have the edge here. That said, Fruhvirtova scored a great win against Andreeva in the first round and will surely be motivated and put up a good fight here.
Prediction: Badosa in 3
Dayana Yastremska vs Varvara Gracheva
Jordan:
These two are very inconsistent, meaning predicting their matches is a challenge. Each also plays aggressively, and neither woman will alter that style in this matchup. I will back Gracheva, but in truth, I am not entirely sure which way this contest is going.
Prediction: Gracheva in 3
Damian:
As always, really tough to predict which Yastremska showed up. The Ukrainian is one of the biggest ball-bashers on tour but her timing can be a little off on grass when she doesn’t have much time on the ball. Still, her firepower makes her a small favorite on Gracheva as the match is definitely more on her racket.
Prediction: Yastremska in 2
Manuel:
Yastremska won in relatively easy fashion when the pair faced earlier this year at the Australian Open and the same should happen here as she is the far more solid and consistent player of the two.
Prediction: Yastremska in 2
Naomi Osaka vs Emma Navarro
Jordan:
This is a really interesting matchup. Osaka’s power vs Navarro’s athleticism and consistency. I am leaning very slightly in Navarro’s favour. Her serve is attackable, which could be an issue for her. But getting Osaka’s serve into play and making her play a lot of balls is the key to beating her on grass in particular, and Navarro is one of the most adept in the game at doing those things.
Prediction: Navarro in 3
Damian:
Osaka found her clay game this year and she seems to be improving the grass one as well. It’s all about the footwork anyway as her serve and powerful ground game always suited the courts. Things won’t come easy for her against someone as solid as Navarro, but I think she might be the slight favorite of this clash.
Prediction: Osaka in 3
Manuel:
Osaka was Iga Swiatek’s only serious challenge at Roland Garros, showing that she has what it takes to become a top player challenging for Slam titles again. Grass has never been a happy hunting ground for her, but she fought her way through the first round here and could well do it again.
Prediction: Osaka in 3
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
