We’ll see half of the first round on day two of Wimbledon, which means a whopping 32 matches in the men’s singles. And as always, our LastWordOnTennis team will give you our thoughts on each match. We’ve split the 32 matches between eight articles, with other articles featuring Alexander Zverev vs Alexander Bloxx, Ben Shelton vs Otto Virtanen, Alexander Bublik vs Thanasi Kokkinakis, Alex de Minaur vs Roman Andres Burruchaga, Frances Tiafoe vs Terence Atman, Stan Wawrinka vs Matteo Berrettini and Jakub Mensik vs Toby Samuel. These matches are predicted by Amanda Bergman, Sizu Harbor and Tope Oke. Who do you think will advance?
Forecasts for the second day of Wimbledon
Jiri Legecka vs. Alexey Popyrin
Amanda:
Alexey Popyrin lost both matches played on grass this season, and Jiri Legecka both lost on grass in third-set tiebreakers. In a best-of-five format where there is more room for error, Lehecka should be fine against an opponent who is not as comfortable on the surface as he is.
Prediction: Lechecka at 3
Shizu:
You wouldn’t want to be the tennis ball in this movie with the way these two hit the ball. Lehecka is having a very good season but has gone a little crazy lately. Poirin, on the other hand, found himself in a bad position, suffering four losses in a row. Unless it’s a stormy day, Leheka should accept it.
Forecast: Lechecka at 4
Top:
Alexey Popyrin has so far found little consolation on the grass, with defeats to Raphael Collignon and Jan Czoinski in Halle and Eastbourne painting the picture of a player who has yet to rediscover his footing on the grass. Jiri Legecky’s flat shots and aggressive play in front of goal should be too much for the Australian to handle. Bring the Czech back to move forward without too much drama.
Prediction: Lechecka at 3
Tallon Greek Spur vs. James Duckworth
Amanda:
Tallon Griekspoor has had an up-and-down season, but he is in a good position to claim his first Grand Slam win this year as James Duckworth has had a poor season on grass and hasn’t played much of a role in Grand Slams. Griekspoor needs this win and if he stays calm and just plays his game, it should go his way.
Prediction: Greek track in season four
Shizu:
Griekspoor have had problems of late, but a player of Duckworth’s caliber shouldn’t be a problem for him. I expect the Dutchman to take control of the match from the start and advance to the next round with little or no problem.
Forecast: Greek track at 3
Top:
Tallon Griekspoor had a poor season, with 15 defeats in 26 matches, including two defeats in three warm-up matches on grass, and a Wimbledon ceiling that never went beyond the second round. Duckworth is hardly a major liability, although the Aussie’s tough baseline play tends to draw something out of opponents who aren’t fully engaged. Expect Grickspoor to take the lead, but Duckworth will make it work every game.
Prediction: Greek track in season four
Zachary Swaida vs. Pablo Llamas Ruiz
Amanda:
In the Wimbledon main draw debut for both players, Zachary Svaida has an advantage over Pablo Llamas Ruiz. Svayda is enjoying his best Grand Slam performance and is certainly on the rise, while Llamas Ruiz enters this tournament as a lucky loser, having been defeated in the third round of qualifying.
Forecast: Svayda at 4
Shizu:
The Spaniard got lucky and entered this tournament as a lucky underdog. He’ll need more of that luck if he wants to get through Svayda. The American is not having the best time this grass season, but he is a solid player and won’t give much away to Llamas Ruiz. If the Spaniard wants to emerge victorious, he will have to earn it, and I don’t see that.
Forecast: Svayda at 4
Top:
Zachary Svajda enters Wimbledon after a breakthrough performance at Roland Garros, but he has since gone cold. Pablo Llamas Ruiz arrived as a lucky underdog with nothing to lose and his pedigree on clay rarely carries over to grass, making his Wimbledon debut on the worst possible surface. Svajda’s pitch and youth should be enough to keep the American back to bounce back and reassert himself.
Forecast: Svayda at 4
Matteo Arnaldi vs Quentin Halis
Amanda:
Neither Matteo Arnaldi nor Quentin Halis are strong grass players, but Arnaldi is playing better tennis now and has the best Grand Slam result of his career. This match may be even, but it should turn Arnaldi’s fortunes around.
Prediction: Arnaldi in match 4
Shizu:
Arnaldi, the French Open’s surprise performer, will be hoping for the same at Wimbledon. However, he faces a difficult opening match against Khalis. The Frenchman is not in the best form, but stylistically he is a poor match for Arnaldi, as his explosiveness does not allow for many of the plays that suit Arnaldi.
Forecast: Khalis at 4
Tope:
Matteo Arnaldi arrived at Wimbledon after an outstanding clay season that included a stunning run to the Roland Garros semi-finals, but grass remains uncharted territory and there was little to inspire confidence in the first round at Eastbourne. Halis, on the other hand, has a decent reputation on grass, and the Frenchman’s flat, aggressive ball striking is better suited to surface play, while Arnaldi’s vulnerability on grass makes Halis the best choice here.
Forecast: Khalis in 5
Main photo credit: David Kirouac, USA TODAY Sports