A LOOK AT THURSDAY’S WIMBLEDON MATCHES, INCLUDING FEDERER AND NADAL

Written by: Staff on 25th June 2014

A LOOK AT THURSDAY'S WIMBLEDON MATCHES, INCLUDING FEDERER AND NADAL |

Photo by Brett Connors photography.

By Ricky Dimon

The round of 32 will take final shape after action is completed on Thursday. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are expected to be among those still alive, but the two former champions do not have easy second-round matchups on their hands.

(5) Stan Wawrinka vs. Yen-Hsun Lu: Lu is no stranger to Wimbledon stunners, having taken out Andy Roddick 9-7 in the fifth to reach the quarterfinals in 2010. Wawrinka looks like a player ripe for an upset right now. Is that the recipe needed for a Lu victory?

(19) Feliciano Lopez vs. Ante Pavic: Pavic anted up for his first tour-level win on Tuesday, when he ousted Alejandro Falla. Pavic’s reward is a free grass-court lesson from Lopez, who finished runner-up at Queen’s Club then captured the Eastbourne title–for a second straight year.

Jarkko Nieminen vs. (9) John Isner: This pits one of the biggest serves on tour against one of the weakest. No matter the surface, that should always favor the guy with the huge delivery. It certainly has in the history of this matchup: Isner leads the head-to-head series 4-0.

(15) Jerzy Janowicz vs. Lleyton Hewitt: No second-round matchup is more interesting than this one. It pits Janowicz’s huge serve against Hewitt’s defense and consistency. You might think the advantage would go to Janowicz on grass, but it won’t if he double-faults a ridiculous 19 times again like he did against Somdev Devvarman.

Adrian Mannarino vs. (23) Tommy Robredo: If France vs. Spain was a soccer match right now, France would likely be in good shape. But this is Mannarino vs. Robredo, and the edge might go the Spaniard even on grass.

(30) Marcel Granollers vs. Santiago Giraldo: A Spaniard vs. a Colombian is by no means a grass-court mecca, but don’t give up hope on this one. It could be intriguing…well, kind of…if you are an absolutely hardcore tennis fan.

Gilles Muller vs. (4) Roger Federer: Federer lost at this stage of Wimbledon last year and he is now facing an opponent who is no stranger to giant-killing. Muller upset Nadal in the second round of this event in 2005, beat Andy Roddick in round one of the 2005 U.S. Open, and reached the quarters of the 2008 U.S. Open while taking out Tommy Haas and Nikolay Davydenko. Encore?

(8) Milos Raonic vs. Jack Sock: Despite being just 23 and 21 years old, respectively, Raonic and Sock are already building up some history. All three of their previous matches have been competitive, with Raonic leading the head-to-head series 2-1. Is Sock ready to pull off the biggest win of his career?

Lukasz Kubot vs. Dusan Lajovic: Despite their modest rankings, neither man is a stranger to Grand Slam success. Kubot has a fourth-round finish at the Australian Open and both a fourth-round showing and a quarterfinal performance (2013) at Wimbledon. Lajovic is coming off a third-round result at Roland Garros.

(Q) Denis Kudla vs. (10) Kei Nishikori: If you like crisp two-handed backhands, this matchup is for you. If you’re a fan of Americans, however, this one may not be for you because Nishikori is in great form (when healthy).

(13) Richard Gasquet vs. (WC) Nick Kyrgios: Kyrgios played an electrifying first set against Gasquet during first-round Davis Cup action earlier this season, but the Frenchman eventually took complete control. The Aussie will have a better chance of sustaining that success for a longer period of time on grass and in a match that is not being held in France. Still, a win would be a tough ask for the youngster.

Jiri Vesely vs. (24) Gael Monfils: Monfils’ first-round match against lucky loser Malek Jaziri was bizarre even by his standards. Vesely, however, is a legitimate opponent. Monfils will have to bring a much different attitude and mindset this time around if he wants to advance.

Lukas Rosol vs. (2) Rafael Nadal: Unless you have been living under a rock for two years, you know the significance of this one. The rematch is upon us. Nothing else needs to be said.

Photo by Brett Connors photography.

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Topics: Gael Monfils, John Isner, Kei Nishikori, Lleyton Hewitt, milos raonic, Rafael Nadal, Richard Gasquet, Ricky Dimon, Roger Federer, Stanislas Wawrinka, Tennis, Tennis News, Wimbledon

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10sBalls_com says:

June 25, 2014 at 3:54 pm

A LOOK AT THURSDAY’S WIMBLEDON MATCHES, INCLUDING FEDERER AND NADAL – http://t.co/Qlkb13iDET @RD_Tennistalk #tennis #Wimbledon2014 #ATP
RD_Tennistalk says:

June 25, 2014 at 4:19 pm

RT @10sBalls_com: A LOOK AT THURSDAY’S WIMBLEDON MATCHES, INCLUDING FEDERER AND NADAL – http://t.co/Qlkb13iDET @RD_Tennistalk #tennis #Wimb…