Wimbledon 2015 Bracket: Updated Men's and Women's Singles Draws and Predictions
The first round of the 2015 Wimbledon Championships is in the books, setting up a spectacular second round that begins Wednesday as many of the world's best tennis players get their first serious tests at the All England Club.
Not all of the premier names in the men's and women's brackets made it through to Round 2 unscathed, as third-seeded Simona Halep marked the biggest contender to fall in the opening round of play. Things weren't as difficult for the likes of Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych and others who saw past tough opponents early on to advance.
Things have been somewhat calm in terms of upsets so far at Wimbledon, but that has a growing likelihood of changing as the tournament continues forward to Day 3. Take a look at some of the biggest matches on tap for Wednesday as well as some predictions.
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2015 Wimbledon Bracket: Day 3 Schedule
| No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. Jarkko Nieminen | Centre Court (1st) |
| No. 5 Kei Nishikori vs. Santiago Giraldo | Centre Court (2nd) |
| No. 4 Stan Wawrinka vs. Victor Estrella Burgos | No. 1 Court (3rd) |
| No. 7 Milos Raonic vs. Tommy Haas | No. 1 Court (1st) |
| No. 11 Grigor Dimitrov vs. Steve Johnson | No. 2 Court (1st) |
| No. 14 Kevin Anderson vs. Marsel Ilhan | No. 2 Court (3rd) |
| No. 16 David Goffin vs. Liam Broady | No. 3 Court (1st) |
| No. 9 Marin Cilic vs. Ricardas Berankis | No. 3 Court (3rd) |
| No. 27 Bernard Tomic vs. Pierre-Hugues Herbert | Court 18 (1st) |
| No. 26 Nick Kyrgios vs. Juan Monaco | Court 18 (2nd) |
| No. 1 Serena Williams vs. Timea Babos | Centre Court (3rd) |
| No. 4 Maria Sharapova vs. Richel Hogenkamp | No. 2 Court (2nd) |
| No. 16 Venus Williams vs. Yulia Putintseva | No. 2 Court (4th) |
| No. 7 Ana Ivanovic vs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands | No. 3 Court (4th) |
| No. 21 Madison Keys vs. Stefanie Voegele | No. 3 Court (2nd) |
| No. 22 Samantha Stosur vs. Agnieszka Radwanska | Court 12 (1st) |
| No. 14 Andrea Petkovic vs. Mariana Duque-Marino | Court 12 (3rd) |
| No. 19 Sara Errani vs. Aleksandra Krunic | Court 12 (4th) |
Complete men's and women's singles brackets available at Wimbledon.com.
Top Day 3 Predictions
No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. Jarkko Nieminen
Jarkko Nieminen has already conjured up an enemy-like persona at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships after he ended Lleyton Hewitt's career at Wimbledon in the first round with his five-set victory. Now, he has a chance to send shock waves through the tournament in Round 2 against Novak Djokovic.
Of course, even giving Djokovic a test in Wednesday's second-round affair would be an unlikely accomplishment for Nieminen. No opponent at the French Open even won a set in Djokovic's first five matches of last month's major, including a win over Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic got the toughest draw possible in Round 1, facing world No. 33 Philipp Kohlschreiber and overcoming him, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Afterward, he was basking in his return to a tournament he won last year, per Wimbledon.com's Alix Ramsay:
"It is great to be back in the cradle of our sport. We have this tradition that the champion opens on Centre Court. It is a privilege and an honour. It doesn’t get any bigger than Wimbledon. To come back here only conjures up the dearest and the best memories. You have the butterflies and the thoughts that you are coming back to the place where you won last year.
"
As tends to be the case early in Grand Slams, Djokovic has a career of dominance against his upcoming opponent. He's 5-1 in his career against Nieminen, including a first-round win at the French Open. Nieminen's only career victory against him came in 2009 at the Sydney Open, which was against a completely different Djokovic than we see today.
Still looking to bounce back from that ghastly French Open final loss to Stan Wawrinka, Djokovic will cruise to another straight-sets win.
Prediction: Djokovic wins, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
No. 5 Kei Nishikori vs. Santiago Giraldo
He's only in the second round, but Kei Nishikori has already been pushed to the brink of elimination at Wimbledon. He'll look to stay alive for one more round against Santiago Giraldo on the Centre Courts on Wednesday.
Nishikori had his hands full in the opening round against Simone Bolelli, overcoming an injury scare and a five-set thriller to win and book his place in Round 2. Things don't get any easier, as he now will face an opponent in Giraldo who's coming off a straight-sets drubbing of Joao Souza.
Their meeting is one of the marquee matches of Day 3, as Wimbledon showed:
Nishikori has undergone his fair share of growing pains, but the success has come in droves over the last calendar year. He's made the U.S. Open final, French Open quarterfinals, Australian Open quarterfinals and the fourth round of the Wimbledon all in the past year.
Along with that, he takes a stellar 6-1 career record against Giraldo into Wednesday's match. Having ousted his opponent at the Barcelona Open in each of the last two years, Nishikori is in line for another hard-earned victory.
Prediction: Nishikori wins, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2
No. 1 Serena Williams vs. Timea Babos
Serena Williams' quest to join one of the most exclusive clubs in tennis continues at the Wimbledon Championships into Round 2 action Wednesday as she gears up to face Timea Babos.
A lot of history is on the line for Williams entering the year's third Grand Slam after she swept the opening two majors of the year at the Australian Open and French Open. She's one more title at the All England Club away from further etching her place in the history books, as ESPN Stats & Info told:
Williams nearly began her Wimbledon in the same fashion that she spent so much of the French Open in losing her first set, only to bounce back and top Margarita Gasparyan in straight sets. She's virtually unbeatable for any opponent when she plays her game, and that should be the case versus Babos.
The 22-year-old is one of the up-and-coming talents in women's tennis, but she's only advanced past the first round of a major twice in her career. She'll be no match for Williams' championship prestige.
Prediction: Williams wins, 6-1, 6-3
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