It’s a double dose of Swiss players on day 2 of Wimbledon with Marc-Andrea Huesler and Alexander Ritschard in action. Stefanos Tsitsipas takes on Ritschard in an intriguing matchup. We have predictions for every day 2 match including Rafael Nadal’s first round contest.
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Alexander Ritschard
Jakub Bobro: Tsitsipas will be hoping to break his negative streak of Wimbledon first-round exits at two. The Greek took some early losses against strong opposition, taken out by Andy Murray in Stuttgart and Nick Kyrgios in Halle but his confidence will be high after winning the title in Mallorca. Ritschard might be a slightly more tricky opponent than it might seem at first glance. The 28-year-old University of Virgina graduate is making his slam main draw debut later in his career but will look to exploit the Greek’s backhand return and can certainly rally with Tsitsipas. Tsitsipas in 4
Damian Kust: Stefanos Tsitsipas’s backhand return will have its first test in the opening round. Alexander Ritschard has all the power required to keep it somewhat close, but there’s just not enough control over his game and he’s very, very unlikely to redline for long enough to win a best-of-five like this. Tsitsipas in 3
Filip Krajinovic vs Jiri Lehecka
Jakub: Krajinovic, who has never been past the first round at Wimbledon, shocked everyone at Queen’s Club. The Serb pulled off wins over Sam Querrey and Marin Cilic en route to his fifth career final, still waiting for his first ATP title. Krajinovic had never won a main tour-level match on grass before. Lehecka is a talented young player but only played his first grass matches this month, taking losses to Nick Kyrgios and Dominic Stricker. If the Serb can bring his Queen’s Club level, he should be winning easily. Krajinovic in 4
Damian: While fresh off a runner-up appearance at Queen’s Club, Filip Krajinovic has never felt quite at home on grass. Neither does Jiri Lehecka, who lost his two previous matches on this surface. This one could get messy and I’ll favor the experience. Krajinovic in 5
Marc-Andrea Huesler vs Hugo Grenier
Jakub: Qualifier versus lucky loser here with both of them making their slam main draw debuts. Huesler enjoyed a good grass season, a 7-3 record with a successful qualifying campaign and a win over Arthur Rinderknech from Halle. Grenier has had a down season compared to last year with a 16-22 record but the Frenchman is one of the more deserving lucky losers. Grenier got two easy wins over clay-court specialist before running into Jack Sock, probably the strongest player in the qualifying draw. Grenier will be tough to beat but I see Huesler pulling it off. Huesler in 5
Damian: Breaks will be scarce in this one. Marc-Andrea Huesler has some of the best serve power/placement combinations on tour, but his hyper-aggressive style is inconsistent enough for him not to be the overwhelming favorite here. Huesler in 4
Taylor Fritz vs Lorenzo Musetti
Jakub: It’s a bit surprising that Fritz has just one Wimbledon third round here but he is likely to change that after he looked very impressive in his second Eastbourne title. The American beat the solid Alex De Minaur and handled the challenge of Maxime Cressy in the final. Musetti has shown flashes of the player he was before last year’s French Open but not with any consistency. The Italian’s best result of the year is his Forli Challenger title, where he dropped a set in every single match. Musetti also retired from his last match two weeks ago, making Fritz even more obvious of a favorite. Fritz in 3
Damian: The run he had at Eastbourne might turn out to be absolutely vital for Taylor Fritz’s chances here. The American has a nice draw in the first few rounds and could be eyeing a very deep run here.
Fritz in 3
Main Photo: