2026 Wimbledon Men's & Women's Round Two - Day Two Writeup 🐢

Women’s Singles :

Snigur vs Jeanjean :

Hmm. Snigur comes into this one at -550 and that is a very big number. Her flat-hitting style is perfect for grass, but Jeanjean won their previous meeting in 2022 in straight sets (albeit on a different surface) and played very well in qualifying so I’m not sure how straightforward this will be. Part of the reason Snigur loses at times is when she’s faced with an opponent who has more power. She has really good shots with control, but can be forced into errors when rushed. She also is prone to frustration which spills over into her game. Jeanjean has a really solid forehand and is able to extend rallies and drag things out (as she did against Erjavec), and that’s her best bet here.

Snigur beating Svitolina was a tremendous upset, but Svitolina came into the tournament with health issues so it’s not clear how much of a factor that was. Given the close tie with Erjavec, I think Jeanjean’s work in the qualifier is making her a little bit flatter as things go, so I’d side with Snigur here. Her game is perfect for grass and she’ll be feeling pretty confident after beating Svitolina, who even injured is a tougher out than Jeanjean. Snigur in 2.

Bolkvadze vs Krueger :

Really impressive win for Bolkvadze. Tomljanovic has great power but Mariam just kept digging in and putting the ball in play. She’s solid and being left-handed never hurts. Her task her gets tougher, but if she can defend well the same unforced errors are available. Ashlyn Krueger is a bit like Tiafoe. She’ll be down a set, and down the entire second set, and right at the finish line she manages to break back and sneak by. From there her opponent’s mental state is not crisp, and Krueger seems to play a lot more comfortably in a deciding set. It almost feels like she hits too big when she’s fresh, and once the physical edge is off and the adrenaline is gone she’s able to keep the ball in the court easier. In any event, it was an improbable win against Vekic, and it sets up a pretty winnable match. Bolkvadze will test her percentages, but she should be able to serve her way through this. Krueger in 2.

Navarro vs Selekhmeteva :

Good win in round one for Selekmeteva. Her groundstrokes will be a good test of Navarro’s defending, but Emma is playing her best tennis in a long time recently so a dip of this magnitude doesn’t make sense. Selekhmeteva has always struggled a little bit with errors when she’s forced to hit on the run, so Navarro’s job here is to vary her shot selection enough to expose that. Navarro in 2.

Blinkova vs Kostyuk :

This is one of the tricky blowout spots. Blinkova is pretty solid on grass, but is well into the second half of her career. Kostyuk is expected to roll, but honestly Marta is not great on grass. She has mostly losses in the past and she doesn’t enter many tournament outside of Wimbledon, and Blinkova has just beaten Starodubtseva and played three with Sierra a week ago. The Sierra match isn’t too significant heading into this event, but Gauff and Sierra just played a very close three setter last night. Kostyuk should win based off physical ability and defense in the long run, but this strikes me as a tricky spot for her. Kostyuk in 3.

Golubic vs Paolini :

This will be the smallest matchup of the tournament, but it might have the craziest rallies. Golubic has excellent skill and slices and grass does give her a little boost. She has the best one-hander on the tour, and the only hole in her game is how weak her serve is due to her short stature. That last note is one reason why this is a tough spot. Paolini is really not playing well on grass this season, and despite beating Montgomery she really dragged her way through the match. What she is doing well is extending rallies and digging in with her usual gritty style. Montgomery’s offense is not as varied as Golubic, but it’s in the same weight class. I expect this to take a very long time since neither player can really impose themselves on serve, and in the end I think Paolini is a little bit better on defense and has notched a better result with event. 3 with Montgomery is better than 3 with Shymanovich. Paolini in 3.

Sakkari vs Rakhimova :

Sakkari is one of the more difficult success stories on tour. Her fitness is top tier, and her ceiling is very high for a single point. Some mechanical issues on her backhand have held her back from big titles, and her decision-making on big points can sometimes get a bit frantic (bailout dropshots). I’ve sort of stopped expecting her to play well unless she gets past the first round, but here she turned in a nice performance against Tauson. Up next is an opponent who’s main method of winning is good ball-striking and consistency. It means the only thing Sakkari can really lose to here is her decision-making. That worries me. This will look like an easy spot for Sakkari at times but Rakhimova’s devotion to hitting the court means anytime she gets momentum she believes. Kamila is working to wear her opponents down, and it does happen. She was able to outlast Kalinina, and this is a spot she won’t hate given Sakkari’s potential for implosion. Based on what I’ve seen so far, Sakkari should win, but I think she will have to work pretty hard for it. The big difference between her and Kalinina as an obstacle is Sakkari’s movement. If she’s down, she’s able to grind and play more carefully. Sakkari in 2-3. She held 80% of her first serves in round one and that’s a stat Rakhimova can’t remotely match. If her first serve % starts dropping below 60 this will likely go three.

Eala vs Joint :

I got bamboozled by the Serena doubles success. She looked dynamic and fit in the doubles, but it didn’t highlight her inability to move. Early on in the Joint Williams clash I knew I had made a mistake. Serena is hitting the ball clean, but the movement issues she had before she retired were still very much a factor. Joint clocked this early, and when your opponent knows the task is just “hit to the open court” it tends to put them in form. Serena had said she wasn’t planning to play singles but was honored they held the spot, and I believe that after watching her performance. Hopefully she sticks around and plays doubles, as she can be one of the top players on tour and one of the most entertaining (she really has great reflexes at net and is a great entertainer when there’s less pressure on her).

For now, Joint gets a great win in a big moment. She’s been playing decent lately, so this isn’t totally impossible. The difference here in defensive ability is massive though. Eala is a bit of a wall at times and had a good performance in round one. Interestingly enough, these two played last year on grass in Eastbourne and it was a 6-4, (1-6), 7-6 (12-10) win for Joint. A year later, these two have gone in slightly different directions. Joint has struggled to maintain her level during matches and Eala has been one of the more exciting new prospects on tour. I think Joint can still compete here despite her recent struggles. She does likely lose eventually to some errors, but she reflects pace well and she served fairly well against Serena. Elevating your level is good, but I guess the trouble here is that Eala can likely stay at her base or best level for longer and with less focus/attention. Eala in 3.

Swiatek vs Pliskova :

Karolina is playing great, but this has been a bad matchup for her. Swiatek has never lost a match to Pliskova. One of the best things Swiatek does is expose her opponents movement, and Pliskova just doesn’t possess the same speed she used to/never really was that quick with her lateral movement. It’s the same equation as Joint vs Williams but Swiatek has a much bigger offense and is the defending champ here. I’d expect Pliskova to hold serve a good amount of the time for at least one set, but the h2h is a really rough stat and when players know their opponent won’t make the defensive gets eventually, they tend not to take the same size risks and that locks them into a solid level. Swiatek had a slow start against Townsend, but I think her athleticism and ability to hold her shots (to avoid being read) is still world class. Swiatek in 2.

Anisimova vs Kenin :

Huge result for Kenin. She’s been really struggling for a few seasons now so every win counts. I watched a good chunk of it, and while she won I didn’t really think she was at a great level. That spells problems against Anisimova, who is recovering from injury but still playing a pretty great level. I don’t think Kenin’s serving is good enough right now to avoid pressure and Anisimova remains one of the most dangerous returners on tour. Anisimova in 2.

Swan vs Keys :

Swan retains her dominance against Begu. Not a great reward here playing Keys, but Swan was overjoyed to win a Grand Slam match and she’ll enjoy the moment. Keys in 2. Swan is mostly an offensive talent and I don’t think her serving is big enough to keep Keys at bay.

Cirstea vs Birrell :

Birrell I think is a tough out here. One thing she has done pretty consistently on tour is be inconsistent with her level. She plays top 20 players and competes even. She plays people outside the top 100 and loses in straights. It’s a mixed bag, but she does have powerful groundstrokes and a good ability to trade with big hitters. This is evident from her recent with against Krejcikova, and it’s the right attribute to have against Cirstea. Sorana has a bigger offense and is more organized this season, but she had some trouble closing out against Bejlek. With Birrell hitting a heavier ball, I think a similar lapse will send this to a third. Cirstea in 3. I’d be lying if I said I knew exactly how some of these matches play out, but I will try to highlight spots like this where the challenger is capable of the full range of results.

Osorio vs Noskova :

Noskova just won Berlin a few weeks ago, and Osorio really doesn’t play great on grass. Osorio’s serve isn’t strong enough to keep Noskova on defense, and her groundstrokes aren’t quite fast enough to hit past her. Noskova’s lateral movement and occasional impatience are small leaks in here game, but she should be okay here. Noskova in 2.

Shnaider vs Samsonova :

Really not sure about this one. Shnaider was in trouble early against Lys, but Eva really fell apart from there after serving for the first set. Shnaider’s power is still very effective here, but her timing isn’t great on grass. I think she’s more steady than Samsonova (this doesn’t say much), but I wonder if the amount of defense she’ll have to play here won’t be a bit of a problem. Samsonova also had a chance to fold or struggle against Kudermetova, and she played fairly well. The trouble with backing Samsonova is she doesn’t back off any shot. Every ball that arrives she tries to crush, and this means she can win fast and lose fast. She was only at 57% first serves last round, but kept her unforced error count at just 9. That’s pretty impressive to me, and impressing me is the goal (it isn’t). I think Samsonova should win, but it might take three sets because of Shnaider similarly powerful offensive capabilities.

Grant vs Bouzkova :

Grant came through qualifying playing well and continued against Boulter. I will say that Katie helped a bit. When she struggles with errors, she doesn’t really back off. Boulter ended up with 11 winners and 21 unforced errors, and that’s really not great. This next match will see Grant’s stamina tested. She served only 51% of her first serves in last round, and that will make for a super long day against Bouzkova. Marie seems to have found her best tennis right at the perfect time here, and she’s on a 6 match win streak. The wins against Navarro Pliskova Maria and Valentova are really the level she needs to bring to get past Grant, so I think there’s a good reason to expect her to deliver. Grant has easy power and good speed, so a baseliner like Bouzkova isn’t necessarily going to have an easy day. Still, the first serve #s for Grant need to go way up almost overnight or else I think she won’t have the offense to beat Bouzkova. Bouzkova in 2.

Mertens vs Timofeeva :

Timofeeva qualified and took care of business against Haddad Maia, and now the challenge gets much tougher. I’ve watched Timofeeva a lot early in her career, and one thing I’ve noticed is her aggression on serve can often lead to errors. The quality and skill is there, but she can’t take the foot off the gas because her defense isn’t as good as the rest of the tour yet. I think Mertens is a good counterpuncher and will be able to deal with Timofeeva’s offensive pressure long enough to earn errors. Mertens in 2.

Rybakina vs McNally :

This one is very risky for Rybakina. She needed 3 with Boisson and that is not good. The third set was also pretty close. I don’t have the heart to believe in the upset, but if Rybakina plays the same level she did in round one, it could happen. McNally doesn’t have a very versatile backhand, but she is capable of playing a very steady level from the baseline and her forehand is a solid weapon. There are always tester matches early in a tournament that show you who is really a contender, and this is the one for Rybakina. Rybakina in 2 makes sense to me, but it will require a better performance. I cannot actually think of a reason why I assume Rybakina will just automatically play better here. She lost to Eala in a warmup event and lost to Boulter also, and those are not really the same level threat as McNally. Maybe this is Rybakina in 3. Maybe even Rybakina in 4.

Men’s Singles :

De Minaur vs Mannarino :

De Minaur has beaten Mannarino in their last five meetings and just beat him 4,0 early last month. I think De Minaur in 3 makes sense here. He’s not getting any buzz in this draw but grass is a good surface for him and this is a very familiar opponent. ADM’s speed is good enough to negate a lot of Mannarino’s accuracy.

Svajda vs Majchrzak :

Svajda played great in round one. He only landed 71% of his first serves, but he won 80% of those and won 85% of his second serves. He posted 31 winners to 8 unforced errors, and I think he’ll perform well here. The tough part is how much better Majchrzak is than Llamas Ruiz. Kamil has won matches against Medvedev, De Minaur, and Auger-Aliassime. I’ll go back and forth here because there are notes in both directions. Svajda isn’t really great on grass, but he played Majchrzak in a Challenger in Birmingham last season and won 7-6, 6-4. Majchrzak has been on fire lately, but the style of his game means he doesn’t blow anyone off the court. If you can serve well, you can get deep in sets. If you have rally tolerance, you can compete. I think this goes 4 or more sets. The upset I think would take a really incredible performance from Svajda, but he should be competitive here and Majrchzak’s best weapon here is likely his comfort on the surface. Majchrzak in 4-5.

Hanfmann vs Khachanov :

Khachanov and Harris was a good match, and if Karen wanted to avoid more giant ball-smashers he has not fished his wish. Hanfmann is through after a very close contest with Perricard, and this is another match where patience and execution are important. Both have heavy serves and big groundstrokes. Both are decent movers for their size. I’d say the edge goes to Khachanov in defensive ability, but he’s been in half a slump this season and Hanfmann has been playing better and better the past few weeks. These stats are skewed since Perricard isn’t the best defender, but Hanfmann was 56/16 winners to unforced last round and won 92% of his first serves. This alone makes me think he’s about even in this match, Khachanov was 28/35 W/UE, and down at 72% of his first serves.

This is a close one. Khachanov has the ability to level up and win this, but he’ll have to. I think Hanfmann has momentum, and if he’s able to get an early lead he can hang onto it. Hanfmann in 4.

Duckworth vs Cobolli :

Cobolli was down a set to Navone and was broken 7 times by the clay-court specialist. It was a good showing from Navone, but I am a bit worried that Cobolli is vulnerable here. Duckworth won their previous matchup on hardcourt so he’ll be confident, and grass is actually one of his best surfaces. Duckworth upset Griekspoor in round one and if Cobolli doesn’t sharpen up immediately, he is likely out of this tournament. Cobolli’s serve/forehand are certainly strong enough to win, but right now I think Duckworth is the favorite here. Duckworth in 4. He serves well enough to close out if he does get opportunities, and he’s very tenacious. This is a guy who basically grinds away and looks for these opportunities, and this really feels like one after watching Cobolli make 50 unforced errors in round one. The caveat here is that Duckworth is generally better against lower tier opposition, and he can sometimes crack under pressure in big moments. This is 100% an opportunity, it’s just whether he has the game management to secure it.

Mensik vs Duckworth :

This is a day of extremely tricky spots. Mensik is 2-0 vs Dimitrov, but he really isn’t great on grass yet. Samuel nearly had him and Mensik was broken only 4 times but gave up 9 break points. 5 sets with Samuel isn’t bad, but Mensik’s grass struggles mean that Dimitrov can get his mitts on Mensik early and often. Dimitrov’s shotmaking and slices on grass really will give Jakub problems, and the only reason I’d expect Mensik to win is physical stamina. In round one Dimitrov was playing solid, but Sweeny still gave him a lot of trouble. It was a straight set victory, but it always looked like Dimitrov was juuuuuuust hanging on. Sweeny’s backhand really just goes cross-court, and despite breaking Dimitrov a handful of times and having some momentum, he just couldn’t close out.

The task for Mensik here is to just weather the storm. He will make the same errors and shanks he didn’t against Toby Samuel, but Dimitrov likely has less stamina than Samuel. Dimitrov’s offense is much crisper, but I think the grind against Sweeny actually was pretty intense. This is very close, and assuming someone is going to gas out isn’t great. On the flipside, Dimitrov could maybe sprint past Mensik given his timing struggles, but Mensik tends to always struggle in his first round at a major and then level up his serving in the next. Mensik in 5.

Berrettini vs Fils :

Berrettini and Wawrinka played an extremely high level match in round one, with 3 tiebreakers including one that ended 18-16. I wonder what the recovery is like here for Berrettini. He looks healthier than he has been in recent seasons, but he had a withdrawal in Roland Garros and grass is a lot of strain on your core and abdominal areas. I think Fils is capable of dragging him deep here and that will spell success. I picked Collignon because I didn’t expect Fils to be sharp, but Fils looked excellent in round one. He broke early and ran away with the match. There’s no quick path past Berrettini as well as he’s serving, but Fils can match him on serve due to his strong +1 and great footwork, and eventually his speed will allow him to extend a few rallies and find Berrettini’s backhand. Matteo’s slice is solid, but his two-hander absolutely will break down here. Fils in 4-5.

Bergs vs Faria :

Shimabukuro is solid, but woof did Faria play great in round one. Faria’s service games are lightining quick. He serves two first serves almost constantly (to great effect), and if the ball comes back he’s very aggressive. It winds up looking like what Struff’s game is intended to look like, and since Faria has more repeatable mechanics, it really works. I don’t think he’s in huge trouble against Bergs since he’s serving well, but it’s probably the wrong time to play Bergs. Zizou has just beaten Humbert in 5, and is coming off the Eastbourne title. The one thing that scares me a little when I type Bergs’ name in is that he’s had some fitness issues in the past, so a long run of tennis and a 5 setter could leave him a little flat. I expect this to be a very close contest, and Bergs’ commitment to wearing down his opponent should eventually earn some unforced errors from Faria unless he (Zizou) hits a physical wall. Bergs in 4-5.

Fery vs Virtanen :

The best upset of the event so far goes to Otto Virtanen, but the best use of earplugs goes to Arthur Fery. Damir Dzumhur spent much of the match complaining to the umpire, and Fery put in earplugs during the second set which is one of the funniest and wisest moves I’ve seen in a while. This should be a close match. Virtanen’s serve and skill allow him to compete against top players, but the unforced errors and impatience can also allow him to lose to lower tier opponents. Fery has also been very solid lately. He took a set off Cerundolo, beat Mannarino, and bested Hijikata as well. Since he’s solid from the baseline and playing at home, and Virtanen is a high variance player, I think there’s a good chance these two trade sets as Virtanen’s level raises and lowers. There’s a random chance Virtanen is fatigued after the best win of his career, but I think this is a simpler task for him. Virtanen in 5.

Fritz vs Kypson :

Kypson is a good server so this could be tricky, but Fritz is much better from the baseline and much better defensively. Fritz in 3-4.

Diallo vs Sonego :

I like Diallo here, but these two are very similar at this stage. Both are serve heavy and do most of the work with their forehand, both are hyper aggressive with their shot selection, and both are prone to unforced errors at any moment. The ability to reign in the offense when it’s appropriate is hard to learn, and I’m not sure I’ve seen either of these players really back off. Diallo is more likely to chip and charge and serve volley, but Sonego is probably a little sharper right now. I’d expect this to wind up in a 4th or 5th set. It’s always hard for me to believe in Sonego honestly, and despite Diallo coming back from injury I think Bonzi was the harder first round, so him battling there was good prep. Diallo in 5.

Tiafoe vs Choinski :

Tremendous stuff for Choinski. He’s been doing great work on the Challenger tour for a few seasons, so these are great wins. I don’t think he has the ability to really bother Tiafoe, but it won’t be a simple match given his serving ability and power. Tiafoe in 4. This could easily be 3 but I won’t ignore the straight set win Choinski had against Kopriva.

Jacquet vs Bublik :

Jacquet hasn’t dropped a set in his last 4 matches, but this is a big step up. Even if his tournament is over, this will be a great contest for viewers. Jacquet has great skill and shotmaking, and he’s extremely fast and strong. His first serve is pretty good, and his forehand does most of the work. The tough part for Jacquet is that Bublik has most of the ability he does (except the movement) but has a much more solid backhand. Bublik is capable of fumbling a match, but he had to really dig in against Kokkinakis in round one who is a fairly similar opponent to Jacquet. Bublik should be motivated here, and he’ll know the task is to wear down Jacquet’s backhand in a big moment. Bublik in 3-4.

Lehecka vs Molcan :

If you tell me that Lehecka beat Molcan, well yes, I believe that. If you tell me that Lehecka can’t lose to Molcan though, well no, I don’t believe that. Jiri Lehecka has a collection of great tennis and rapid losses. The loss to Hijikata recently really is the type of question mark that gives Molcan a chance here. Lehecka seems to have trouble with good defenders, and his backhand can be a bit awkward at times so playing a lefty like Molcan is a tough test. Again, this is another spot where I sort of “have” to give the nod to Lehecka, but I do not see a way for it to be a straight setter unless he plays his best tennis. The win against Popyrin is good, but Popyrin is not great on grass because his timing can struggle. Lehecka in 4. I do think he has the serve and power to win this, but I almost trust Molcan more on a big point.

Fearnley vs Munar :

Cerundolo unfortunately got invited to Taylor Swift’s wedding and had to head out of Wimbledon early, and the result is I have to try to predict a Jaume Munar grass match. I really don’t know what to think. Munar serves better than it seems, and he has some moderate fast court success. I really don’t rate his play at all, but I have a hard time handing the belief to Jacob Fearnley. Fearnley managed to come back from two sets down against Michelsen, and that’s a really solid performance given his season. The one wrinkle in Fearnley’s level is that he did have a Challenger win on grass a few weeks ago. That’s the only thing that makes me think this can be close. Here’s my problem. There is no way that Jaume Munar will allow himself to lose to a guy who makes as many unforced errors as Fearnley does. Munar specializes in being stingy with errors and making people play 5-6 balls every rally. He’s going to profit from the 50+ unforced errors that Fearnley made in round one. The flipside obviously is that when Fearnley lands, it’ll be tough for Munar to match him offensively. This is a very close one. Munar in 5.

Halys vs Giron :

It’s midnight and I’m not sure if anyone will even have time to read this before the matches start. I really need to get these up earlier, but the good news is that if no one is reading, I can fumble this prediction. So I will. Marcos Giron has no backhand. Quentin Halys cannot change direction on grass. Hmm. Part of me thinks Halys will be under a lot of pressure here, but I think once he locks into a level he has fewer decisions to make than Giron. Halys in 5.

Royer vs Zverev :

Royer was not great in round one, and Zverev had a number of tiebreakers but is looking very difficult to beat at this event. Zverev in 3.