Wimbledon 2023 Day 2: Men's singles predictions, ft. Grigor Dimitrov vs Sho Shimabukuro

Modified Jul 03, 2023 19:03 GMT

cinch Championships - Day Four — Grigor Dimitrov opens his Wimbledon campaign on Tuesday.

The second day of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships on Tuesday will see the conclusion of first-round action with 32 matches. Sixteen seeds, nine qualifiers, five wildcards, and two lucky losers will be in action.

On the opening day of action at the grasscourt Major, the likes of four-time defending champion Novak Djokovic, fourth seed Casper Ruud, and J.J. Wolf emerged victorious, respectively beating Pedro Cachin, Laurent Lokoli, and Enzo Couacaud.

Without further ado, here's how the following four first-round matches on the second day of the grasscourt Major on Tuesday could pan out:

#1 Alex de Minaur (15th seed at Wimbledon) vs Kimmer Coppejans

Fifteenth seed Alex de Minaur opens his Wimbledon campaign against Belgian qualifier Kimmer Coppejans.

World No. 17 De Minaur is 21-13, coming off a final loss at Queen's last week and quarterfinals at 's-Hertogenbosch. He's 6-4 at the grasscourt Major.

Meanwhile, the 188th-ranked Coppejans is making his season debut, having never played at SW19 before.

It's a first-time meeting, but expect the experienced De Minaur to come up trumps without much fuss.

Pick: De Minaur in straight sets.

#2 Grigor Dimitrov vs Sho Shimabukuro

Twenty-first seed Grigor Dimitrov gets his Wimbledon campaign up and running against Japanese qualifier Sho Shimabukuro.

World No. 24 Dimitrov is 20-12 on the season and is coming off a quarterfinal run at Queen's last week.

The Bulgarian has a 16-12 record at SW-19, losing in the first round last year. Meanwhile, the 162nd-ranked Shimabukuro is making his season and Wimbledon debut.

The two players haven't clashed before, but Dimitrov should take the win.

Pick: Dimitrov in straight sets.

#3 Christopher Eubanks vs Thiago Monteiro

Christopher Eubanks takes on Brazil's Thiago Monteiro in an all-unseeded first-round matchup at Wimbledon.

World No. 43 Eubanks improved to 12-10 on the season by winning his first singles title in Mallorca on Saturday.

The American is making his SW19 debut, having fallen in qualifying in four previous appearances. Meanwhile, the 95th-ranked Monteiro is 7-14 in 2023 and is 1-4 at the grasscourt Major.

This is another first-time matchup, but expect the in-form American to continue his winning run.

Pick: Eubanks in four sets.

#4 Nicolas Jarry vs Marco Cecchinato

Twenty-fifth seed Nicolas Jarry opens his SW19 campaign against Italian Marco Cecchinato.

The 28th-ranked Jarry is 22-10 on the season, having made the Halle quarterfinals two weeks ago.

The Chilean has a 1-3 record at SW 19. Meanwhile, World No. 89 Cecchinato is 10-9 in 2023 but is winless in four matches at the grasscourt Major.

This is yet another first-time meeting, but consider the in-form Jarry to take the win.

Pick: Jarry in four sets.

Edited by Yasho Amonkar