We will see half of the first round on Day 2 at Wimbledon, which means a whopping 32 men’s singles matches on the slate. And, as always, our team here at LastWordOnTennis will share their thoughts on every single match with you. We split the 32 matches between eight articles, with the other articles featuring Alexander Zverev vs Alexander Blockx, Frances Tiafoe vs Terence Atmane, Alexander Bublik vs Thanasi Kokkinakis, Alex de Minaur vs Roman Andres Burruchaga, Matteo Arnaldi vs Quentin Halys, Stan Wawrinka vs Matteo Berrettini, and Jakub Mensik vs Toby Samuel. Predicting these matches are Amanda Bergman, Cizu Harbor, and Tope Oke. Who do you think will advance?
Wimbledon Day 2 Predictions
Grigor Dimitrov vs Dane Sweeny
Amanda:
Dane Sweeny barely made it through a five-set battle in the third round of qualifying, but he’s been placed in a decent spot. Although Grigor Dimitrov has picked up a few wins, he struggled to put the match away against an injured opponent in Mallorca and may not be physically ready to handle best-of-five. If Sweeny can simply extend the match, he can capitalize on Dimitrov’s current form.
Prediction: Sweeny in 5
Cizu:
Dimitrov might be lacking match sharpness and form, but this surface is tailor-made for him and should fill him with confidence. Sweeny fought hard in his last qualifying match to get here, but the stakes just got too high for him. At best here gets a set, but that’s about it.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 4
Tope:
Dane Sweeny brings decent grass-court pedigree but his opponent on Tuesday is a step higher. Grigor Dimitrov has made the Round of 16 in each of the last three Wimbledons, and a Mallorca run that included back-to-back Tour wins suggests the Bulgarian is rounding into form at the right time. Sweeny has the fight and the résumé to cause problems, but Dimitrov’s grass-court class should see him through.
Prediction: Dimitrov in 3
Lorenzo Sonego vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Amanda:
Grass is far from Tomas Martin Etcheverry’s best surface, and this is the sort of match that Lorenzo Sonego tends to win at Wimbledon. Etcheverry is seeded, but a win from Sonego wouldn’t be much of a monumental upset.
Prediction: Sonego in 3
Cizu:
Sonego had been in bad form for a while, but Etcheverry has had it even worse recently. The Argentine has lost 6 of his last 7 matches, most of them on his favored clay surface. Etcheverry is the superior player, all things considered; this competition doesn’t see his best performances. I’ll side with the Italian.
Prediction: Sonego in 4
Tope:
Lorenzo Sonego will be a bit rusty here after a wrist injury swallowed three months of his season, even though he showed enough last year to reach the last 16. Meanwhile, Etcheverry has looked even shakier on grass but he still feels like the more reliable player here.
Prediction: Etcheverry in 4
Adrian Mannarino vs Titouan Droguet
Amanda:
Adrian Mannarino typically thrives on grass and has picked up some quality grass-court wins this season, and Titouan Droguet will be playing his first main-draw match at Wimbledon. Mannarino is the better player and far more comfortable on the surface, so this should be a quick win for him.
Prediction: Mannarino in 3
Cizu:
Mannarino started the grass season well but tapered off somewhat. Droguet has had some wins on this surface at the challenger level. This is a different test altogether. Against his more experienced countryman, he’ll try to make things interesting, but I think Mannarino just about wins this.
Prediction: Mannarino in 5
Tope:
Adrian Mannarino arrives at Wimbledon with a mixed grass-court warmup but the veteran’s surface pedigree remains his sharpest weapon. Droguet showed he can string wins together yet the step up to Grand Slam level against a seasoned grass-courter is a different proposition entirely. Mannarino’s reading of the surface should be too much for the Frenchman to handle, even if Droguet makes things uncomfortable early.
Prediction: Mannarino in 4
Ben Shelton vs Otto Virtanen
Amanda:
Otto Virtanen is coming off two grass Challenger finals and a great run in qualifying, but Ben Shelton has been playing well on grass and hasn’t lost in the first round of a Grand Slam since the 2023 French Open. Virtanen can push sets to tiebreaks, but ultimately Shelton should be able to put those away.
Prediction: Shelton in 3
Cizu:
The powerful lefty serve and forehand of Shelton on grass is certain to trouble a player who is not accustomed to this level, in truth. The American also comes into this on the back of impressive outings on grass so far. Feels like an easy Shelton victory.
Prediction: Shelton in 3
Tope:
Otto Virtanen is in the form of his life and his serve will make him dangerous on a surface that suits him well. Ben Shelton, the fourth seed, brings the mental steel of a man who saved three match points to win in Stuttgart, but he has shown a tendency to drop sets against resilient opponents. Virtanen can nick a set here, perhaps two, but Shelton’s power and big-match experience should see him through in four.
Prediction: Shelton in 4
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
