Three to See: Wimbledon Day 2—Men

Each day through the first four rounds, Richard Pagliaro will preview three must-see matches—and give his predictions.

(32) Kevin Anderson vs. Grigor Dimitrov

—Head to Head: Dimitrov leads 2-1

A rematch of this month’s Queen’s Club quarterfinal should entertain. Dimitrov rallied to a three-set win in Queen’s that sent him into his first tour-level semifinal. The 2008 Wimbledon boys’ champion has the athletic, all-court game that plays well on grass. The 6'8" Anderson typically plays with more control, and his serve is the biggest weapon on the court. Despite his expansive reach, the South African prefers to hang around the baseline.

Dimitrov is the more explosive all-court player, is more agile around the court, but is prone to rash shotmaking and can litter the court with errors if he’s off. Still, he's a tremendous talent learning how to use the gears in his game. Anderson has one win in five prior trips to SW19, so if Dimitrov trusts his shots and uses his versatility to make the big man move, he can continue his edge over Anderson.

The Pick: Dimitrov in four sets

(27) Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. Tommy Haas

—Head to Head: Haas leads 2-1

Potentially the most exciting men’s match of Day 2 marks the fourth career clash between two German shotmakers, with all three prior meetings coming on grass in Halle. Both should be confident in this battle of brilliant one-handed backhands. This season, Haas swept Kohlschreiber and Roger Federer in succession to claim his first title since beating Novak Djokovic in the 2009 Halle final.

The 34-year-old Haas has played some of his best tennis in years, winning 13 of his last 15 matches. But the danger of picking players over age 30 at majors is you don’t know how their bodies will bounce back on match day, an issue exacerbated by Haas’ history of injuries. Kohlschreiber is an extremely fit player who will have the advantage if this match goes the distance: He has won eight of his last 11 five-setters and he’s six years younger. Haas is 14-1 when winning the first set this year—and 0-5 when losing it—so a quick start is crucial.

The Pick: Haas in four sets

(25) Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Jurgen Melzer

—Head to Head: Wawrinka leads 2-1

The left-handed Melzer knows his way around grass: He partnered Philipp Petzschner to win the 2010 Wimbledon doubles title and reached the fourth round in singles that same year, more than a decade after he won the Wimbledon boys’ championship. Fourteen months ago, the Austrian was ranked No. 8. After suffering opening-round losses in Melbourne and Paris, Melzer should be pumped for a shot to dispatch a seed.

This match-up has favored Wawrinka in the past primarily because the Swiss is a bit more explosive from the baseline and generally serves bigger. Melzer must use his court craft—attack the net at times, use his slice and drop shot to drag Wawrinka forward on occasion, and serve effectively throughout—in order to stretch his opponent. Wawrinka has more game than he sometimes shows—he’s often content to trade strokes from behind the baseline—but if Wawrinka can maintain depth and consistency on his shots, he should prevail.

The Pick: Wawrinka in four sets