Alex Mann is back with his Wimbledon 2023 Day 2 Predictions. Today we have Andy Murray and Elena Rybakina and a blockbuster match Tsitsipas vs Thiem.
Wimbledon 2023 – Day 2 Predictions
Centre Court
Let’s start with the matches taking place on the Centre Court. If you are curious about betting on any of these matches, you can check our article Understanding the Odds.
Elena Rybakina (3) vs Shelby Rogers
Elena Rybakina begins her title defense against the tricky Shelby Rogers. Since winning the title here last year, the Kazak went on to reach this Australian Open final and won two Masters 1000 titles at Indian Wells and Rome. She has been plagued with a virus in recent months and had to pull out of the third round of Roland Garros but seems to have now recovered. This won’t be the first time the players have shared a court at Wimbledon. Rybakina beat Rogers 6-1, 6-4 in the third round of the 2021 Championships. Rogers hasn’t played much tennis in recent months so may be rusty. I expect Rogers to push Rybakina, but the defending champion will win in two sets.
Prediction – Rybakina to win in 2 sets
Andy Murray vs Ryan Peniston
It’s been ten years since Andy Murray became the first British man to win the singles title at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. Now the Brit returns to Centre court once again and faces off against another Brit, Ryan Peniston. Peniston, ranked 259 in the world, has produced his best tennis on the grass. Last year, he defeated Casper Ruud at Queen’s and beat Ugo Humbert this year. Murray has been in excellent form this grass-court season, winning back-to-back challenger titles at Surbiton and Nottingham. Peniston will be up for this match and will challenge Murray, but the three-time major winner is just an all-round better player so will be the victor in this all-British battle.
Prediction – Murray to win in 4 sets
Aryna Sabalenka (2) vs Panna Udvardy
The Australian Open champion begins her campaign for her second major title of the year. Sabalenka wasn’t able to play last year’s tournament due to the ban on Belarusian players, so will be eager to make up for lost time. Sabalenka’s game is tailor made for grass. When her serve and crushing groundstrokes are in full swing, it is hard to stop her. The last time she competed at the All England Club, she reached the semi-final.
Since then, her consistency and all-round game has improved, so enters this tournament in her best ever form.
Prediction – Sabalenka to win in 2 sets
Court 1
On court one we have our world number one in action, Carlos Alcaraz.
Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs Jeremy Chardy
The world number one begins his quest for major title number two against the French veteran, Jeremy Chardy. Last week’s win in Queen’s proved how quickly Alcaraz has adapted to the grass and this should be no different at Wimbledon. The young Spaniard reached the fourth round last year, losing out to Jannik Sinner in four sets. The Frenchman has said that he’s to retire from singles after Wimbledon, so it seems fitting that Chardy gets to play Alcaraz on court 1. Wimbledon holds a special place in Chardy’s heart as he won the boys singles title in 2005. This will undoubtedly be an emotional match.
Prediction – Alcaraz to win in 3 sets
Ons Jabeur vs Magdalena Frech
Last year’s finalist Ons Jabeur looks to go one further and take home the title. She first needs to get by Pole Magdalena Frech. Frech is in form, having reached the quarter-final of Birmingham a few weeks ago , narrowly losing out to Ostapenko, who went on to win the title. This is not an easy first-round match for Jabeur who hasn’t had the best grass-court preparations this year. However, Jabeur is the kind of player who doesn’t need rhythm to do well. Her game is built around breaking her opponent’s rhythm and she will certainly do this to Frech.
Prediction – Jabeur to win in two sets
Cameron Norrie (12) vs Tomas Machac
Brit, Cameron Norrie closes the action on court 1 as he takes on the young Czech, Tomas Machac. Norrie reached the semi-final of Wimbledon last year and has made the third-round or better of the last five majors. Machac, on the other hand, is playing in first main draw at SW19, having won three matches to qualify. Norrie’s experience should help him to come through this match without too many hiccups.
Prediction – Norrie to win in three sets
Matches to watch
Stefanos Tsitsipas (5) vs Dominic Thiem
On paper, this match screams fireworks. The two-time major finalist Tsitsipas goes up against the 2020 US Open champion Thiem in a battle of the one-handers. Both players are looking to gain much-needed momentum this fortnight. Thiem is still in the process of making his comeback and this match could be his chance to remind everyone of why he is a major champion. Tsitsipas has also struggled over recent months, so a win would give him confidence he can challenge at this tournament. The Greek will look to be aggressive and use his serve and volley to rush the Austrian’s game. Thiem will also need to stay on the front foot and not give Tsitsipas time to dictate.
Prediction – Tsitsipas to win in 4 sets
Maria Sakkari (8) vs Marta Kostyuk
A mouth-watering first-round encounter. Sakkari reached the semi-final of the grass-court tournament in Berlin, so has form leading into this match. Kostyuk, now 21, has struggled for consistency after her breakthrough at the 2018 Australian Open as a 15-year-old. However, the Ukrainian is a solid grass-court player and has the game to upset the Greek. I’m going with Kostyuk to cause the upset.
Prediction – Kostyuk to win in 3 sets
Karolina Muchova (16) vs Jule Niemeier
The recent French Open finalist and two-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist, Karolina Muchova goes up against last year’s semi-finalist, Jule Niemeier. Muchova will need to use her variety and exquisite volleys to keep Niemeier off balance. If not, the German has the game to overpower the Czech.
Prediction – Muchova to win in two sets
