Expect plenty of entertaining tennis on day two at Wimbledon. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Holger Rune vs Kwon Soon-woo, Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Taro Daniel, Alexander Zverev vs Roberto Carballes Baena, Hubert Hurkacz vs Radu Albot, Andy Murray vs Tomas Machac, Andrey Rublev vs Francisco Comesana, and Novak Djokovic vs Vit Kopriva. But who will advance?
Wimbledon Day 2 Predictions
Alex de Minaur vs James Duckworth
Jim: This all-Australian battle should be a watchable affair. But it is hard to see James Duckworth getting the better of his compatriot. There is never any questioning Duckworth’s efforts, but he will not be able to hit through Alex de Minaur and it is hard to see him outlasting him from the back of the court.
Prediction: de Minaur in 3
Damian: Duckworth getting in as a lucky loser is great as he was a beast in the grass swing and just ran out of steam when he had to face Lajal in the final qualifying round. But even if he likely had enough time to recover, there’s a limit on what he can do with this sort of draw. De Minaur should be way too strong.
Prediction: de Minaur in 3
Yesh: James Duckworth is a fine enough grass player who’s never made himself more than a solid journeyman. Alex de Minaur is a rising consistent Top 30 player. Expect the younger one to win this battle of Aussies.
Prediction: de Minaur in 3
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Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Thanasi Kokkinakis
Jim: Thanasi Kokkinakis still has plenty of appetite for giant killings, and with Felix Auger-Aliassime not exactly in the form of his life, the Canadian will need to be wary here. Both also come into the match with question marks over the fitness. But if he can play his best tennis, expect Auger-Aliassime to be the man to advance.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 4
Damian: Auger-Aliassime hasn’t played his best tennis in a while and that Madrid run full of withdrawals doesn’t count. Unless his tennis goes up a level again, he won’t be a serious threat in these events. But he’s likely getting through some rounds here as Kokkinakis has performed pretty poorly on grass over the course of his career.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 4
Yesh: This might be the best battle of the first round. If both are healthy, we’re in for a treat. Kokkinakis has a game tailor-made for grass. And while his career has been throttled by injuries, he always performs well here. I’ll go with the Canadian, but expect a battle.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in 5
Arthur Fils vs Dominic Stricker
Jim: Dominic Stricker saw the first half of his season derailed by injury problems, but he should come into Wimbledon relatively match sharp after playing a full grass-court schedule. Unfortunately for the Swiss, even if he is match sharp, he may well be outgunned by Arthur Fils.
Prediction: Fils in 4
Damian: Stricker won just one match in the three grass Challengers he played, but these were some tough draws for the Swiss with him coming back from injury. His lefty pace makes him a very potent grass-courter, and this is a matchup where he’ll have to keep the pressure high and take time away from the Fils forehand. Usually he’d be the favorite here, but I’d say it might be slightly too early in his comeback, especially in the longer format.
Prediction: Fils in 5
Yesh: Arthur Fils hasn’t been in the headlines a lot recently, but he’s still here. He’s ready to take the Tour by storm, and blowing out a solid opponent at Wimbledon is a good way to start.
Prediction: Fils in 3
Flavio Cobolli vs Rinky Hijikata
Jim: Rinky Hijikata has put together a good grass-court swing and will doubtless be hoping to make an impact at Wimbledon. Whether he can pull off a memorable run remains to be seen, but based on his form in recent weeks it would be a surprise if he did not get the better of Flavio Cobolli.
Prediction: Hijikata in 3
Damian: This is a tough one as Cobolli is still clearly learning the ropes of grass-court tennis and Hijikata tends to overperform on the surface. It doesn’t bring out the best from the Italian, but he could actually enjoy that sort of matchup where he’ll have lots of freedom to attack and won’t be battling a big server.
Prediction: Cobolli in 5
Yesh: Cobolli prefers clay, and Hijikata does well on grass. That alone should more than make up for their difference in talent.
Prediction: Hijikata in 4
Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
