The women’s third round begins on Day 5 of Wimbledon, and we are starting to get to crunch time. Players are making names for themselves, upsets are brewing, and the draw is shaping up. Who will reach Round 4? As always, we here at LastWordOnTennis share our predictions on all eight matches. We split Friday’s matches between this and a separate article–featuring Emma Racudanu vs Maria Sakkari. Predicting these matches are Jordan Reynolds, Damian Kust, and Nurein Ahmed. Who do you think will win?
Wimbledon Day 5 Predictions
Bianca Andreescu vs Jasmine Paolini
Jordan:
Andreescu pushed Paolini to three sets during her run to the French Open final last month. On grass, she will like her chances more, but I am still backing Paolini. She has adapted to the grass impressively, and the firepower from her forehand might be what makes the difference.
Prediction: Paolini in 3
Damian:
Some were talking about Paolini having no grass court wins on the main tour before this year, but the in-form Italian is clearly indicating she can perform anywhere at the moment. Andreescu lost to her at the French Open last month and it’s still quite early in her comeback. The level is looking great though and she’s a more natural grass-courter than Paolini.
Prediction: Andreescu in 3
Nurein:
Paolini will bring the power into this clash, but Andreescu has the flair and finesse to make this match a treacherous one for the Italian. It’s all about the execution by the Canadian and judging by what I’ve seen from her, she’ll outplay the Roland Garros finalist.
Prediction: Andreescu in 2
Donna Vekic vs Dayana Yastremska
Jordan:
Yastremska won a thrilling battle against Varvara Gracheva in the late round. Despite that, I like Vekic’s chances on grass more. Both players will play aggressively, but Yastremska may be slightly less consistent.
Prediction: Vekic in 2
Damian:
Vekic has a great record against Sabalenka, but the Belarusian being out of her section is still quite helpful. She’s won a grass court title before and usually performs well on this surface. It will be her aggressive baseline timing and Yastremska’s more thunderous power here. On grass, it’s usually the game of Vekic that’s slightly more applicable.
Prediction: Vekic in 3
Nurein:
Donna Vekic survived a difficult opening match against the talented Xiyu Wang. Since then she’s played with regulation, beating Erika Andreeva in straight sets. Yastremska can be quite tricky to contain when she is firing on all cylinders, but the Ukrainian’s baseline discipline is not something that can be predicted. I’ll pick the Croat.
Prediction: Vekic in 3
Lin Zhu vs Lulu Sun
Jordan:
Both players have already had strong tournaments. Zhu has more experience at this level, but her record on grass was very poor until this tournament. It is a tough one to call, but I will back Sun’s great run to be extended.
Prediction: Sun in 3
Damian:
Unexpected third-round matchup here, but should be fun nonetheless. Sun delivered the Zheng upset in the opening round with the Chinese favorite struggling to find her grass-court footing. Zhu might avenge that loss as she’s usually very dangerous on any faster or slicker surface. She’s also been to this stage of a Grand Slam event before.
Prediction: Zhu in 3
Nurein:
This is turning into the tale of the unexpected as Lulu Sun is one win away from the second week. But this is where I think the fairy tale run ends. Zhu Lin loves the fast-playing surface and she’ll use her experience too to get the job done.
Prediction: Zhu in 2
Coco Gauff vs Sonay Kartal
Jordan:
Kartal can play with freedom against the world No. 2, after already enjoying a great tournament to get to this point. But there is nothing in the Briton’s game that is likely to hurt Gauff. The US Open champion should progress comfortably.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
Damian:
Kartal had that fantastic rise through the ITF circuit a couple of seasons ago, but then bounced off the higher level and had to work her way back up. Some of that is due to her profile as she tends to rely on consistency a bit too much. It takes considerable firepower to blow Gauff off the court and the American’s floor will likely prove too much for a lower-ranked opponent again.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
Nurein:
It’s a commendable run by the qualifier Sonay Kartal beating a seed to reach the third round, but Coco Gauff will be too steep a challenge for her. The American is one of the favorites to reach the final from this point and I can’t see her losing before the second week.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
