Wimbledon Day 3 expert picks, including Khachanov vs. Lopez and Medvedev vs. Popyrin

Wimbledon rolls on to the second round on Wednesday, when Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev face two of the most dangerous unseeded threats. Ricky Dimon and Cheryl Murray of The Grandstand make their predictions for four of the best matchups.

(10) Karen Khachanov vs. Feliciano Lopez

Ricky: In terms of both quality and competitiveness, this could be the best match of the entire second round. Lopez recently turned in a legendary week at Queen’s Club, highlighted by an improbable singles title. The Spaniard has always been awesome on grass and at this point in his career (37 years old) he might even be a grass-court specialist. Khachanov has struggled in 2019, but he is still No. 9 in the world an he at least made a quarterfinal appearance in Halle. The Russian leads the head-to-head series 2-0, so he gets the slight nod. Khachanov in 5: 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Cheryl: Lopez has more of a chance in this match than his ranking would suggest. He sits at 54th in the world, but he came from out of nowhere at Queen’s Club to take the title. He gained a whopping 50 ranking spots with that win. He also, incidentally, won doubles with a newly-returned Andy Murray. Khachanov is 2-0 lifetime against Lopez and currently enjoys a career-high ranking of No. 9. And yet this is a winnable match for Lopez. Khachanov will probably pull it out, but a confident veteran will make him work for it. Khachanov in 4: 7-6, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6.

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(11) Daniil Medvedev vs. Alexei Popyrin

Ricky: Popyrin is one of the sport’s future stars, and the present is similarly bright for the 19-year-old Australian. He is already turning heads in London, having won three qualifying matches and then erasing former top 10 player Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets on Monday. With Medvedev having cooled off at the same time, this promises to be more competitive than the rankings would suggest. But the Russian has a lot more experience and his game should actually be quite well-suited for grass. Medvedev in 4: 6-7(6), 6-2, 7-5, 7-6(4).

Cheryl: Popyrin produced a good win in the first round over PCB, but the teen’s good fortune probably stops there. First, Medvedev is no Pablo Carreno Busta. The Russian has been flirting with the top 10 all spring and he made a run to the semis at Queen’s Club, so he’s plenty warmed up on grass. Popyrin is ranked just inside the top 100; it’s doubtful he has the chops to hang with Medvedev. Medvedev in 3: 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.

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(30) Kyle Edmund vs. Fernando Verdasco

Ricky: Verdasco is 2-0 lifetime against Edmund, but both wins required deciding third sets. The Brit has home-court advantage this time around, and he certainly benefitted from it on Monday against another Spaniard–Jaume Munar. Edmund got put on Centre Court and treated the crowd to a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory. This will obviously be much tougher, but the 30th seeded enjoyed a better grass swing prior to Wimbledon and is the more reliable of the two right now–which isn’t saying a lot! Edmund in 4: 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4.

Cheryl: This is a juicy second-round match. Edmund will be playing in front of the home crowd and he comes into Wimbledon off a good run to the semis in Eastbourne. Generally he would have the edge in a match against a Spaniard on home turf…but Verdasco is no slouch on grass. Worse for the Brit is that he’s never beaten Verdasco–and they have already played in 2019 (admittedly, on clay). Verdacso made the quarters in Eastbourne, and he should make this one competitive. Edmund in 5: 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 2-6, 6-4.

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(19) Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. (Q) Corentin Moutet

Ricky: Monday was an outstanding day for Auger-Aliassime; he’s been having a lot of those of late. Not only did he pick up the first Grand Slam win of his career, but he also watched the other top two players in his 16th of the draw–Grigor Dimitrov and Gael Monfils–exit in five-setters. That’s not to say Moutet won’t be tough. The Frenchman, who upset Dimitrov from two sets down, has been on fire this summer. But it’s the Canadian who has too much firepower, especially on grass. It will take more than what Moutet has to offer to beat the tournament’s fifth favorite this fortnight. Auger-Aliassime in 4: 7-5, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

Cheryl: This is a match of the youngsters. FAA is a precocious 18-year old, while Moutet is 20 and also coming into his own. Moutet had an impressive upset win over Dimitrov in the first round, but Felix is absolutely on fire at the moment. Lopez just nipped him in the semis at Queen’s Club, but the Canadian has been quite impressive otherwise. I’m afraid it’s the end of the line for Moutet…but you’ll be seeing more from him in the not-so-distant future. Auger-Aliassime in 5: 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2.

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