Wimbledon 2024 Day 3: Men's singles predictions ft. Alexander Bublik vs Arthur Cazaux and Karen Khachanov vs Aslan Karatsev

Day 3 at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships is set to feature men's and women's second-round singles action and a handful of first-round encounters with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, Jannik Sinner, and others set to take center stage.

The opening couple of days at the Championships saw almost all the big names on the men's side bag comfortable victories in their openers. Andrey Rublev was arguably the biggest casualty yet, having lost to was brushed aside in 4 sets by the relatively unknown Francisco Comesana. Other men's seeds who were shown the exit door included Nicolas Jarry, Mariano Navone, and Sebastian Baez.

Alcaraz, Djokovic, Sinner, and Zverev, meanwhile, registered emphatic victories in their respective openers. Alcaraz saw off Estonian qualifier Mark Lajal, while Djokovic dropped just 5 games en route to his victory against Vit Kopriva. Sinner passed the Yannick Hanfmann test in four sets and Zverev registered a routine victory over Roberto Carballes Baena.

With plenty of action in store on Day 3, here's a look at the predictions for a few of the key men's matches lined up.

#5 Lorenzo Sonego vs Roberto Bautista Agut

Lorenzo Sonego and Roberto Bautista Agut's second-round clash promises plenty of action with both players heading into on the back of convincing opening-round victories.

Sonego dumped the thirty-first seed Mariano Navone in straight sets 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-4. He was brilliant on serve, notching a total of 8 aces and 73% of points won behind his second serve.

Bautista Agut, on the other hand, brushed aside Maximilian Marterer, dropping just eight games en route to a 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 win. The Spaniard wasn't broken once and won a whopping 17 points on his second serve. He also hit 30 winners in a total of 90 points won.

Agut has tasted success at the All England Club in the past, having reached the semifinals in 2019. Sonego, meanwhile, reached the fourth round in 2021 which is his best result yet. The Italian enters the contest as the favorite over the 36-year-old Spaniard who is in the latter stages of his career. The pair have never faced off on the tour before and their first encounter could very well be a thriller.

Predicted winner: Lorenzo Sonego.

#4 Tallon Griekspoor vs Miomir Kecmanovic

Tallon Griekspoor entered Wimbledon on the back of a semifinal run at the Libema Open and a close first-round defeat to Jannik Sinner in Halle. He kicked off his campaign at the All England Club with a convincing 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-4 win over Daniel Elahi Galan, hitting 14 aces and 44 winners, showcasing the sheer amount of speed he can generate behind his shots on the grass.

Miomir Kecmanovic, meanwhile, reached the last eight at the Eastbourne International last week. He didn't find much success on the grass otherwise, failing to pick up a win in 's-Hertogenbosch and Halle. He was put to the test by Sumit Nagal in his Wimbledon opener but eventually triumphed 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. He won an impressive 68% points on his first serve and broke the Indian's serve seven times.

Griekspoor got the better of Kecmanovic earlier this year at the Libema Open, coming back from a set down to seal a 6-7 (3), 7-6 (7), 7-6 (3). We could be in for another thriller given how well their game styles complement each other. Griekspoor, nevertheless, should eventually pass this test and book his spot in the third round.

Predicted winner: Tallon Griekspoor

#3 Ugo Humbert vs Botic van de Zandschulp

World No. 16 Ugo Humbert has had a decent 2024 season so far, He's compiled a 22-13 match record and has won two titles so far, in Marseille and Dubai. The Frenchman kicked off his grass-court swing well with a semifinal run in 's-Hertogenbosch but suffered shock opening-round defeats at Queen's Club and Mallorca in the subsequent weeks.

Alexander Shevchenko took Humbert the distance in his Wimbledon opener, but he displayed incredible mental fortitude to eventually seal an emphatic 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (3), 6-1 win.

Botic van de Zandschulp, on the contrary, has had a relatively sub-par season. He holds a 10-15 match record this year and is yet to make it past the round of 16 at any event. He played just one match on the grass in the lead-up to Wimbledon in 's-Hertogenbosch.

Up against Liam Broady in his opener at the London Major, the Dutchman overcame a minor hiccup in the second set to seal what was otherwise a routine 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory.

While we could have an extremely interesting match on our hands, Humbert will be the favorite to go through given his consistency and form on the tour this season. He's got the better of van de Zandschulp on all three occasions in the past and could very well be on his way to making it four wins.

Predicted winner: Ugo Humbert.

#2 Karen Khachanov vs Aslan Karatsev

Karen Khachanov has been a shadow of his former self this season despite the one title at the Qatar Open. He's lacked consistency, failing to make it through to the business end of a majority of the events he's played in so far this season. He kicked off his grasscourt swing in the worst possible fashion, failing to pick up a single win at the Libema Open and the cinch Championships.

Aslan Karatsev, meanwhile, has scarcely featured on tour this season due to a knee injury suffered at the Brisbane International. He's played just six matches this year and won just one. Seeded eighth in Halle, he lost to James Duckworth in the opening round in a tight three-set contest.

Khachanov will be favored to come out on top in the all-Russian clash despite his bleak run off late. He leads Khachanov 3-1 in their head-to-head and has tasted more success at the Championships. The vast disparity in their record on tour should ensure the higher-ranked Russian makes a winning start to his campaign.

Predicted winner: Karen Khachanov

#1 Alexander Bublik vs Arthur Cazaux

Alexander Bublik entered the championships with a 21-15 match record in 2024. He has, however, failed to replicate his heroics from the start of the season on grass courts. The Kazakh failed to defend his title in Halle, losing in the second round to Christopher Eubanks.

Czech Republic's Jakub Mensik put him to the test in his Wimbledon opener, taking the first two sets emphatically. Staring down the barrel, Bublik played some fierce all-round tennis to seal a 4-6, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 victory.

Arthur Cazaux, meanwhile, entered the Championships with a 5-6 match record this season. The youngster has shown much promise with some great wins but has also lacked consistency.

He lost all three of his matches on the grass in the lead-up to WImbledon. A first win beckoned him at the All England Club as he saw off fellow youngster Zizou Bergs in five epic sets 6-1, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (8).

Bublik enters the contest as the clear favorite to go through given his prowess on the grass and the clear disparity in their results this year. Cazauz will have to string together a monumental performance on serve and at the net if he is to have chance of winning this contest.

Predicted winner: Alexander Bublik