Day 3 of Wimbledon sees the start of the women’s second round. This half of the draw was absolutely crushed in Round 1, and who knows what surprises await us in Round 2. There are 16 matches on Wednesday, and we here at LastWordOnTennis share our predictions on all of them for you. We split the 16 matches between four articles. The other three articles feature Madison Keys vs Yafan Wang, Naomi Osaka vs Emma Navarro, and Emma Raducanu vs Elise Mertens. Predicting these matches are Jordan Reynolds, Damian Kust, and Manuel Traquete. Who do you think will win?
Wimbledon Day 3 Predictions
Jasmine Paolini vs Greet Minnen
Jordan:
Paolini has impressed on grass with a run to the semifinal in Eastbourne, before overcoming Sara Sorribes Tormo in the opening round at SW19. Minnen is a tricky opponent. She gets a lot of balls into play and makes life awkward for her opponents. But Paolini’s firepower is likely to be the difference between the two.
Prediction: Paolini in 2
Damian:
Grass makes this a pretty exciting matchup as Paolini is quite vulnerable on the grass and it really suits Minnen’s assets. The Belgian still has to be on her best game here though and find a way to attack the Roland Garros runner-up with her excellent aggressive timing. If she can do that, the opportunities for the upset might pop up.
Prediction: Minnen in 3
Manuel:
Paolini is having an extraordinary season, capped off by her run to the final at Roland Garros, but on grass she is definitely more vulnerable than on other surfaces. With that said, she should still be able to come through here against a much lower ranked opponent who should be overmatched.
Prediction: Paolini in 2
Lin Zhu vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Jordan:
Zhu has a poor record on grass, meaning just getting past the first-round is something to be celebrated for her. Pavlyuchenkova’s best level will see her prevail if she can find it consistently enough. Both players like to be aggressive, but Pavlyuchenkova usually does that better on grass.
Prediction: Pavlyuchenkova in 2
Damian:
Zhu’s game gets pretty dangerous on any slicker court and grass definitely fits that profile. Pavlyuchenkovai is a much stronger opponent than Begu and won’t be easy to dominate. She’s made the quarterfinals before and will not allow Zhu to take time away from her that efficiently, hitting back with her powerful strokes.
Prediction: Pavlyuchenkova in 2
Manuel:
Neither player has been doing well so far this grass season, but both scored straightfoward wins in Round 1. Pavlyuchenkova is generally the more solid and consistent player, though, and should have the edge here.
Prediction: Pavlyuchenkova in 2
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Donna Vekic vs Erika Andreeva
Jordan:
Andreeva took full advantage of being a lucky loser after Aryna Sabalenka’s withdrawal by beating Emina Bektas. She is the underdog against Vekic, although the Croatian was not at her best in the previous round. Nonetheless, her firepower will probably overwhelm Andreeva.
Prediction: Vekic in 2
Damian:
Vekic has a good record against Sabalenka, but she’ll still be thankful that the Belarusian is not in the draw anymore. This should be a good opportunity for her as she’s awesome on grass. Andreeva took advantage of her lucky loser spot but she’s not quite as dangerous as her sister and likely won’t be a threat here.
Prediction: Vekic in 2
Manuel:
Vekic comes into this tournament on the back of a great run to the Bad Homburg final, while Andreeva only made it to the main draw as a lucky loser. On paper, Vekic should have a very clear edge here.
Prediction: Vekic in 2
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Coco Gauff vs Anca Todoni
Jordan:
Todoni has been very comfortable on grass in her four matches since the qualifying stage. That means she probably will not be utterly dismantled by Gauff, but her chances of beating the World No. 2 are very slim. The American’s superior talent should take her through in two sets.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
Damian:
Todoni is such a nice prospect and she’s found her footing on grass so well, switching between aggressive groundstrokes and great situational slices with ease. Gauff is still a really high bar for her to potentially clear, but it would be serious progress for the up-and-comer to just get out there and show off her arsenal on the big stage.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
Manuel:
Gauff has risen to #2, but she hasn’t had any success at Wimbledon yet. That said, she has a pretty nice draw here and should be able to have her best Wimbledon run yet, even if contending for the title seems unlikely.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports