By Tony Fairbairn, Britwatch Sports at WimbledonToby Samuel [WC] v Jakub Mensik [15] | H2H: First MeetingBilly Harris [Q] v Karen Khachanov [19] | H2H: First MeetingJacob Fearnley [WC] v Alex Michelsen | H2H: First MeetingArthur Fery [WC] v Damir Dzumhur | H2H: First MeetingHarry Wendelken [WC] v Valentin Royer | H2H: First MeetingLONDON, ENGLAND – Toby Samuel will put his recent form to the test as he leads the British charge against 15th seed Jakub Mensik on day two of Wimbledon.
Toby Samuel [WC] v Jakub Mensik [15] H2H & Match FundamentalsToby Samuel [WC] v Jakub Mensik [15] H2H: First Meeting Wimbledon 2026 London, England Grass (O) Prize Money: £80,000Third on No.3 Court (15:00 BST) BBC One, BBC Two and BBC IPlayer
It’s a main draw Wimbledon debut for Toby Samuel. A well deserved wildcard for Samuel after success on the ITF circuit was followed by qualifying for his first main draw Grand Slam at Roland Garros. The Brit then justified his wildcard by reaching the semi-finals in Eastbourne, producing an impressive set of results as a lucky loser. An effective serve as well as patience from the baseline, Samuel has the skillset to be a success going forwards as he looks to embrace the Wimbledon experience and continue his good form.
There will be no easing into Wimbledon as Samuel has been handed a tricky draw in the form of Jakub Mensik. The 15th seed at this year’s Championships is full of confidence after reaching a first Grand Slam semi-final at Roland Garros, defeating some big names along the way. Mensik has had mixed results on grass and a first round defeat at Queen’s Club would have been a reality check to Mensik that grass won’t be an easy surface to conquer. However, Mensik has a big serve and good net skills as he will look to make the right decisions on his way to a deep run at SW19.
Samuel will aim to be consistent on serve and will use the forehand to force Mensik to play from deeper in the court. Meanwhile, Mensik will serve aggressively and will use the backhand to open up the space on the court. This will be a good experience for Samuel and is expected to find some success given his recent form and confidence. However, Mensik should have too much consistent quality on serve and will battle his way into the second round.
Prediction: Mensik in four sets.
Billy Harris [Q] v Karen Khachanov [19] H2H & Match FundamentalsBilly Harris [Q] v Karen Khachanov [19] H2H: First Meeting Wimbledon 2026 London, England Grass (O) Prize Money: £80,000Second on Court 18 (12:30 BST)BBC One, BBC Two and BBC IPlayer
After a turbulent last 12 months, Billy Harris had to earn his way into the main draw at Wimbledon. Although there were some testing moments, Harris produced three good wins to earn his place into the main draw at Wimbledon. After winning his first match at Wimbledon last year, Harris is hoping he can use last year’s experience to his advantage and produce some better performances and a platform to build on for the rest of the season. The question is can Harris find some consistency on serve against the better players?
We are about to find out the answer to that question as he takes on 19th seed Karen Khachanov in the opening round. It hasn’t been the best last few weeks for Khachanov who has struggled to pick up wins and missed out on a golden opportunity for a deep run at Roland Garros, losing to Jesper De Jong in Paris. However, Khachanov did reach the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last year and will be hoping that his dangerous forehand can produce a similar result this year.
Harris will need to serve well and will use the backhand to try and force Khachanov in being over-aggressive which will result in errors coming from the 19th seed’s game. Meanwhile, Khachanov will use the forehand to expose Harris’ defensive game and will look to pounce on the second serve return. This will be a good test for Harris but last year’s quarter-finalist is expected to be too strong for the qualifier.
Prediction: Khachanov in four sets.
Jacob Fearnley [WC] v Alex Michelsen H2H & Match FundamentalsJacob Fearnley [WC] v Alex MichelsenH2H: First Meeting Wimbledon 2026 London, England Grass (O) Prize Money: £80,000Second on Court 15 (12:30 BST) BBC One, BBC Two and BBC IPlayer
It was this time last year where Jacob Fearnley was inside the world’s top 100 and entered Wimbledon having reached his first ATP tour quarter-final at Queen’s Club. The Brit was enjoying the experience of playing world-class opponents every week. Then Fearnley crumbled under the pressure against Joao Fonseca and it has been a downhill ride ever since then. Fearnley has lacked confidence and needed a wildcard to enter Wimbledon this year. The Brit will be hoping the lack of pressure does him some good as he will look for an improved performance at SW19 this year.
In his bid to overcome a lack of form, Fearnley now takes on Alex Michelsen in his Wimbledon opener. After a promising US hard court swing, Michelsen’s form has dipped since then but back-to-back wins in Geneva and Roland Garros have given him reason to feel confident again. Despite Michelsen having a big serve and a big baseline game, Michelsen has lost both of his matches at Wimbledon so far and will aim to put an end to that horrific record at this year’s tournament.
Fearnley will need to be consistent on serve and will use the forehand to punch past Michelsen’s defensive game. Meanwhile, Michelsen will aim to be aggressive on the first serve and will come to the net to finish off the points. This will be a battle between two players who need a win here. Michelsen’s more confident game should secure a win that could go the distance.
Prediction: Michelsen in five sets.
Arthur Fery [WC] v Damir Dzumhur | H2H & Match FundamentalsArthur Fery [WC] v Damir Dzumhur H2H: First Meeting Wimbledon 2026 London, England Grass (O) Prize Money: £80,000Second on Court 16 (12:30 BST) BBC One, BBC Two and BBC IPlayer
It’s been a good grass court season so far for Arthur Fery who reached the quarter-finals at Queen’s Club. There have also been some good performances from Fery elsewhere as he showed that he can match anyone on the tour with his resilience, power and variety. The Brit has the perfect game for grass and has used the slice well to outsmart opponents. Having won a match at last year’s Wimbledon, Fery will aim to continue his Wimbledon successes with another big win here at SW19.
The experience of Damir Dzumhur awaits Fery in the opening round. The Bosnian has struggled to record back-to-back wins this year and has fallen outside the world’s top 100 as a result. Dzumhur doesn’t exactly have the game for grass either as he lacks a powerful shot to break opponents down. However, Dzumhur does bring a wealth of experience and has played some of the best players in the world. Now, Dzumhur will aim to break British hearts and spoil the Fery party.
Fery will use slice and variety to force errors from Dzumhur but will need to display power as well to avoid being too predictable. Meanwhile Dzumhur will aim to use depth on return and will test Fery’s patience from the baseline. This will be a tough match for Fery but if the Brit can stay patient and keep mixing up the patterns of play then he is expected to edge into the second round.
Prediction: Fery in four sets.
Harry Wendelken [WC] v Valentin Royer | H2H & Match FundamentalsHarry Wendelken [WC] v Valentin RoyerH2H: First Meeting Wimbledon 2026 London, England Grass (O) Prize Money: £80,000First on Court 14 (11:00 BST)BBC One, BBC Two and BBC IPlayer
It’s a first Wimbledon main draw appearance for Harry Wendelken. The Brit earned a wildcard with some deep runs at Challenger events earlier in the year which has resulted in him being on the cusp of the world’s top 200. However, Wendelken has struggled for wins on the grass in the lead up to Wimbledon and will now be looking to enjoy the Wimbledon experience as he aims to continue his development and rise up the rankings.
The first challenge for Wendelken will be the world number 75 Valentin Royer. The Frenchman has struggled for consistent results this season but has had shown glimpses of what he can do. One of those moments was at Roland Garros where he tested Novak Djokovic in a four set battle with Royer’s serving catching Djokovic off guard. Now, Royer will hope to have some consistency and will hope Wimbledon is the platform he needs to gain some form.
Wendelken will aim to serve aggressively and will use depth to catch Royer by surprise. Meanwhile, Royer will use the backhand to expose Wendelken’s court positioning. This will be a good experience for Wendelken who will look to continue his growth to help him in the future. However, Royer’s power and consistency is expected to prove too strong here.
Prediction: Royer in four sets.
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