American men had a great first round at Wimbledon, now Brandon Nakashima and Jack Sock are looking to reach the third round. We have predictions for every day 4 match from the Wimbledon Championships including Rafael Nadal’s match.
Denis Shapavalov vs Brandon Nakashima
Damian Kust: Denis Shapovalov didn’t look too convincing in the five-set win against Arthur Rinderknech, but he deserved the victory having broken the Frenchman seven times. Brandon Nakashima is in great form though and will provide a tougher challenge from the baseline, even if he can’t serve like Rinderknech. Shapovalov will need to improve to survive. Nakashima in 5
Jakub Bobro: Last year’s semifinalist Shapovalov came in on a six-match losing streak and went two sets to one down against Arthur Rinderknech. The Canadian turned it around and won 6-1 in the fifth. Nakashima beat qualifier Nicola Kuhn in four sets and should be capable of pulling off an upset if Shapovalov is off. I do expect the Canadian to pull through here though. Shapovalov in 4
Botic van de Zandschulp vs Emil Ruusuvuori
Damian: We might get some fireworks in this one. Botic van de Zandschulp is a lot more versatile and balanced, while still possessing plenty of power. Emil Ruusuvuori could have the better upside on this surface, but producing it in the best-of-five format won’t be easy. I’ll take the more composed and consistent Dutchman. van de Zandschulp in 5
Jakub: Van De Zandschulp beat 40-year-old Feliciano Lopez in the first round, dropping just eight games. Ruusuvuori also had an easier opener, beating Yoshihito Nishioka in four sets. This should be a pretty fun match to watch and the two have previous when the Finn defeated the Dutchman at his home tournament at Den Bosch three weeks ago. I see Van De Zandschulp winning this one though. van de Zandschulp in 5
Lorenzo Sonego vs Hugo Gaston
Damian: Can Hugo Gaston befuddle another opponent who’s seemingly much better suited to grass? Lorenzo Sonego has the weapons to reign supreme in this matchup, but it’s not a guarantee at all given the Frenchman’s excellent touch and off-pace shots. Sonego has been looking quite clean recently though, so he should make it. Sonego in 4
Jakub: Both players won entertaining five-set battles. Sonego took out grass specialist Denis Kudla 6-2 in the fifth while Gaston came back from two sets to one down to beat Alexei Popyrin. Their previous meetings both went three sets with the Italian winning. Gaston will certainly make it fun but I see Sonego winning this one. Sonego in 5
Jack Sock vs Maxime Cressy
Damian: The serve-and-volleying of Maxime Cressy gave very little rhythm to Felix Auger-Aliassime, allowing the American a huge win. His volleying is amazing right now, but you got to remember that Jack Sock is an excellent doubles player, some of that coming from the fact can produce brilliant forehand angles on the passing shots. Not clear at all who will win this one. Cressy in 4
Jakub: Sock confirmed his status as the best qualifier in this draw, beating Bernabe Zapata Miralles in straight sets. Cressy was very impressive in his upset of No. 6 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, especially clutch in the most important moments. The two have never faced each other but Sock has a pretty severe losing records against big servers like John Isner or Ivo Karlovic. I’m sure the 29-year-old will pull off some great hot shots but I see Cressy winning here. Cressy in 5
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