We've got three picks from the Wimbledon qualifying second round today, and all three feel genuinely close. Grass qualifying is its own beast, and rankings mean less here than almost anywhere else on tour. Who do you think makes it through?
Wimbledon Predictions
Mackenzie McDonald vs Christopher O'Connell
Head-to-head: McDonald 1-0 O'Connell
McDonald holds the only previous meeting between these two, but O'Connell is the higher-ranked player right now and grass has historically been kinder to his game than McDonald's. McDonald has had a tough stretch and hasn't been especially convincing on this surface at the best of times.
O'Connell's flat, aggressive baseline hitting translates well to fast conditions and he's the more consistent of the two at this level and O'Connell gets through, though it won't be straightforward.
Prediction: O'Connell in 3
Nicolas Mejia vs Tristan Schoolkate
Head-to-head: Mejia 1-1 Schoolkate
Tied at a match apiece, so this one genuinely could go either way. Schoolkate is Australian and has had some exposure to grass-court tennis, but Mejia, currently sitting at 168 in the world, has been competing consistently and the ranking gap isn't big enough to read much into.
I think Mejia's ability to stay solid under pressure gets him over the line in what should be a tight five-setter.
Prediction: Mejia in 3
Nicolai Budkov Kjaer vs Matej Dodig
Head-to-head: Kjaer 0-1 Dodig
Dodig is ranked 88 spots below Kjaer but owns the only previous meeting between them, and that counts for something when confidence is involved. That said, Kjaer has the ranking edge and might be expected to come through here, but Wimbledon qualifying on grass is exactly the kind of environment where those numbers get scrambled.
Dodig wins this. The H2H and the unpredictability of grass qualifying make him a reasonable pick and the conditions should level things out considerably, all things considered.
Prediction: Dodig in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
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