Wimbledon Day 4 Preview: Five Must-See Matches

On a day when the top contenders for the men’s and ladies’ championships are heavy favorites in their second round matches, the best action of Day 4 will likely come from more evenly-matched outside threats for the titles.  Let’s take a look at what should be some more closely-contested matchups.

Gael Monfils vs. Kyle Edmund

The first match of the day on Centre Court will see a rising British star against a popular veteran who has struggled on the grass.  Wimbledon has easily been Monfils’ worst major throughout his career.  You may be surprised to learn he’s never even advanced to the second week at the All England Club, with a career record of only 12-8.  The Frenchman has struggled in 2017, but actually showed some improvement on the grass by making the final last week in Eastbourne.  Edmund has risen in the rankings over the past few seasons to his current place at number 50, but has struggled on the grass in his home country.  Tuesday was Edmund’s first win at Wimbledon in five appearances, and he lost in the opening round of both his grass court tune-up events.  The Brits face so much pressure when playing at SW19, and it’s only amplified on Centre Court.  This is a winnable match for both players, and it will be interesting to see if the British crowd plays a role in the outcome.

Tomas Berdych vs. Ryan Harrison

Berdych was a finalist at Wimbledon back in 2010, and returned to the semifinals just last year.  But 2017 hasn’t been the strongest year for Berdych thus far, with no titles and only one appearance in a final.  His ranking has slipped to number 15, and he would likely drop out of the top 20 with a loss on Thursday with his semifinal points to defend.  After a poor French Open performance, Berdych fired his coach, former Wimbledon Champion Goran Ivanisevic.  Ryan Harrison has found the best form of his career at age 25.  He’s currently at a career high ranking of number 41, and won his first title earlier this year in Memphis.  Harrison is coming off the biggest professional moment of his life after winning the French Open men’s double title with partner and friend Michael Venus.  He also had a very impressive victory on Tuesday by taking out Borna Coric in the first round.  These players’ only two previous meetings both came within the past year, which saw Berdych as the victor on both occasions.  With Berdych’s game and team in a bit of peril, and Harrison’s game on the rise, this could be a really tight match with Harrison having a good opportunity to pull off the upset.

Angelique Kerber vs. Kirsten Flipkens

The women’s number one seed and finalist from 2016 is not considered a top contender for the ladies’ title.  Kerber arrives at Wimbledon with only a 21-14 record on the year, no titles, and a year-to-date ranking of number 15.  She has little confidence and a lot of pressure on her, as anything less than a return to the final will result in the loss of her number one ranking.  Her opponent can be dangerous: Flipkens knows how to play on the grass, and is fully capable of upsetting top names on the big stage.  Flipkens was a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2013, defeating former champion Petra Kvitova on the way.  Just last summer, she upset Venus Williams in an over three-hour match in the opening round at the Rio Olympics.  These ladies met three years ago at Wimbledon, with Kerber prevailing in three sets.  While this is a winnable match for Kerber, it’s not a given considering her results so far this year.

Caroline Wozniacki vs. Tsvetana Pironkova

Wozniacki’s resurgence since suffering an ankle injury a little over a year ago has been really impressive.  She already has 36 wins on the year, and is back up to #6 in the world.  Pironkova is somewhat of a grass court specialist.  She’s made two impressive runs at past Wimbledons: once to the quarters and another all the way to the semis.  But those results were six and seven years ago respectively, and Pironkova is just 5-5 at Wimbledon in the years since.  By contrast, the All England Club has been the toughest major venue for Wozniacki, as it’s the only major where she’s never been past the fourth round.  The Dane should get through this second round encounter based on current form.

Alexander Zverev vs. Frances Tiafoe

This will be a meeting of two top “Next Gen” stars who will likely take home many trophies in the coming years.  Zverev’s rise up the rankings has been quick and impressive: he’s now in the top 10, and number 5 in the Race to London.  He became one of only a few players outside of the “big four” to win a Masters 1,000 title when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the Rome final.  But Zverev is yet to breakthrough at a major, with no appearances to date in the second week of any major tournament.  Tiafoe is yet to make as strong an impression on the tour as Zverev has, and he’s never been past the second round at a major.  While not at the same level as Zverev, Tiafoe has shown a lot of promise, especially in winning back-to-back challenger events this spring.  These two also met in the second round at this year’s Australian Open, with Zverev winning in straight sets.  The German will be the favorite here as well, but this could be a nice preview of tennis’ future.

Thursday’s order of play