There should be no shortage of entertaining tennis on day four at Wimbledon with 16 intriguing matches on the slate at the All England Club. As ever, , we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Holger Rune vs Thiago Seyboth Wild, Alexander Zverev vs Marcos Giron, and Novak Djokovic vs Jacob Fearnley. But who will advance?
Wimbledon Day 4 Predictions
Thanasi Kokkinakis vs Lucas Pouille
Ateet: Both Lucas Pouille and Thanasi Kokkinakis have suffered more than their fair share of injury setbacks. Both now have the chance to reach the third round at Wimbledon. Kokkinakis has more recent match fitness behind him, but Pouille is on a roll after coming through the qualifying. Don’t be surprised to see the Frenchman progress.
Prediction: Pouille in 4
Jordan: Both players won their opening round match in a deciding set. Kokkinakis possesses slightly more firepower, but he often struggles to back up his best results. But beating someone as capable as Felix Auger-Aliassime on grass might give him extra momentum that proves crucial.
Prediction: Kokkinakis in 4
Jim: This could go either way. But Pouille has the better record on grass courts and has been ranked inside the world’s top 10. He’s not the player he was then, but his forehand is still a very fine shot and he has more variety than Kokkinakis. He might just have enough to get past the Australian.
Prediction: Pouille in 5
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Roman Safiullin vs Tomas Machac
Ateet: After a good 2023, where he played some high-quality tennis, Roman Safiullin has been struggling for wins this year. He will cherish the first-round win where he came back from down two sets against Francisco Cerundolo. There have been some great comebacks this week, but Tomas Machac tops them all. He was two sets down, managed to make it 2-2 and then was down 5-0 in the fifth set. Only he knows how he won that match. This monumental effort makes him the favourite against Safiullin.
Prediction: Machac in 5
Jordan: Both men managed terrific comebacks from two sets down in the last round. Of the two players, I trust Machac more not to drop his level after that drama. The Czech to take it in four sets.
Prediction: Machac in 4
Jim: Safiullin was excellent in the first round, rallying past Cerundolo in five. But will he be able to back that up against Tomas Machac? The Czech wasn’t at his best in his opener, but he is a more consistent player than the Russian and for my mind that will be the difference.
Prediction: Machac in 4
Karen Khachanov vs Quentin Halys
Ateet: Aslan Karatsev was making it hard for Karen Khachanov before he retired in the fourth set. Khachanov hasn’t been at his best since the shocking loss to Jozef Kovalik at the French Open. Quentin Halys did not break a sweat in dispatching Christopher Eubanks. He has a deadly serve and any slip-ups from Khachanov will be punished. With Khachanov not being in good form, Halys has a chance.
Prediction: Halys in 5
Jordan: Halys has proven in the last couple of years how capable he is on grass. But the challenge of Khachanov is probably a step too far for him. The Russian’s power and solidity from the baseline should see him progress to the next round.
Prediction: Khachanov in 3
Jim: Halys is a much better player than his ranking suggests, and tends to save his best for the big stage. But whether he can beat Khachanov remains to be seen. The Russian has perhaps not made the most of his considerable talent (though he has had a very good career to date), but this is not the sort of match he loses often.
Prediction: Khachanov in 4
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Flavio Cobolli vs Alejandro Tabilo
Ateet: Alejandro Tabilo is full of confidence at the moment, and he is a dangerous player in this mood for anyone. His game is suited to this surface, and he will back himself to win his second-round match. Flavio Cobolli is playing for the first time on grass this season and he has looked good. His losses came to good grass courters so far and played a great match against Rinky Hijikata in the first round. Cobolli won their only meeting which happened on clay, and I expect Tabilo to edge this one.
Prediction: Tabilo in 4
Jordan: This promises to be a fun match between two very watchable players. On grass, Tabilo has been more impressive recently. He is unlikely to drop his level enough to lose to Cobolli.
Prediction: Tabilo in 4
Jim: Tabilo is in the form of his life and looks far more at home on the grass than many would have predicted earlier this year. Cobolli has a bright future, but this challenge may well have come too soon for the Italian.
Prediction: Tabilo in 3
Main photo credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
