Juan Martin del Potro versus Feliciano Lopez

While it is only natural that many eyes have been drawn to the members of the Big 4 here at Wimbledon, and in particular Roger Federer, there are some who believe that Juan Martin del Potro could be poised to upset the apple cart and do something special here at Wimbledon.  He is one of the few men outside of the Big 4 to have won a major in the last decade, and he is a former semifinalist at this venue.  His booming forehand and serve certainly translate well to this surface, and his backhand, which recent surgeries have forced him to slice more often than earlier in his career, also works exceptionally well on the grass.  In short, there is no reason why he should not be considered a legitimate threat to go all the way in London. 

One stumbling block to such a run, however, is his second-round opponent, Feliciano Lopez.  The stereotype suggests that all Spaniards prefer clay, but Lopez in no way fits that mold.  He is an offensive-minded player with a live arm that garners him his share of aces and winners from the forehand side.  His backhand, which is easily his biggest liability, is still able to produce a lot of funky slice that works well on the grass, as evidenced by his multiple quarterfinal appearances at this tournament.  If at his best, he can trouble anyone on this surface, and that includes del Potro.  The Argentine can go bigger, especially on the forehand wing, and he does have greater variety on his backhand, including the ability to hit over it with more consistency.  Those subtle differences should be enough to see him through to victory, but the ingredients are there for this to be an entertaining and competitive affair.

 Johanna Konta versus Dominika Cibulkova

A match the locals are sure to be keeping tabs on is the second-round encounter between home favorite Johanna Konta and Dominika Cibulkova.  At this time last year, Konta was ranked Number 4 in the world.  Unfortunately for her, she has struggled to replicate her top form throughout this season and arrived at this year's Wimbledon ranked outside of the Top 20.  There may be some ray of hope that she could begin to turn around her 2018 right here at Wimbledon, however.  She did reach the finals of Nottingham before arriving at the All England Club, which gave her a much-needed boost in confidence.  She plays an aggressive style of tennis, producing flat and penetrating groundstrokes from both wings.  She also does a good job of recognizing when to move forward and possesses a net game that is underrated.  Furthermore, she reached the semifinals here last year, so she knows a deep run is possible, and she is playing someone in Cibulkova, whom she has defeated in straight sets in their last couple of meetings to lead this rivalry 2-1. 

Of course, regular tennis fans know that one underestimates Cibulkova at their own peril.  The Slovak is also an offensive-minded competitor, who unabashedly goes for her shots on both sides, which allows her to play bigger than her size would suggest.  That is why she, too, is a former Number 4 and Australian Open finalist.  But she cannot make up for her height when it comes to the serve though, and that is one area where Konta should be able to take advantage.  That said, Cibulkova is a very feisty competitor, and she may be particularly so at this event.  The Slovak was the player most affected by Serena Williams being given a seed, as it meant she lost out on being the last seeded player in the draw.  She was very outspoken about how unfair she thought the decision was, so with an ax to grind, she is apt to be especially motivated to prove she deserved a seed by making a deep run here.  When all is said and done, Konta's best beats that of Cibulkova's, but given where each of them is mentally heading into this clash, it is anyone's guess who comes out on top.

Alexander Zverev versus Taylor Fritz

It is not every day that the fourth seed at a slam is flying a bit under the radar, but that is seemingly the case with Alexander Zverev.  In part, that is no doubt due to the dominance that both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have displayed this season and thus dominate the talking points heading into major tournaments.  That Zverev has historically underperformed at the majors is also a factor, as it was only last month at Roland Garros that he broke through to his first major quarterfinal.  There is also some question as to how well Wimbledon suits his game at this juncture in his career.  He is very solid from the baseline, and his backhand specifically can be one of the most reliable shots in the sport when at his best.  At 6'6”, his serve is also a serious weapon that only continues to improve.  That said, his transition game needs work, and his net play is by far the most glaring weakness in his game, which does not bode well on grass. 

He seems less confident stepping onto the court and going for his shots on this surface than he does on the hard courts, and it is harder for him to get away with meandering too far behind the baseline like he can on clay.  He meekly succumbed to defeat in his lone match on the grass heading into Wimbledon, which Taylor Fritz, his opponent on Thursday, hopes means that he is ripe for the upset.  There are many expecting great things from the young American, who was named one of the ATP Stars of Tomorrow in 2016.  He has not made the leap from the Challengers to the main tour level as seamlessly as Zverev, but he has made inroads.  He reached the fourth round at Indian Wells earlier this season as well as the semifinals of Houston.  He is comfortable on all surfaces, brings sufficient firepower in all facets of his game and does enjoy an advantage in the forecourt over the fourth seed.  None of this is to say that Zverev will suffer an upset.  If Fritz can keep it close, things could get dicey for the German and the unthinkable could happen.  But given all that he has accomplished, one still has to like Zverev to move through with this match serving as more of a barometer for gauging his odds for success in the tournament going forward.