While Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have landed safely and dryly in the third round, Isner and Baghdatis were unable to finish their first-rounder in the rain on Wednesday. The roof benefits all spectators and TV networks, but when it comes to the players, it really only helps the 1 percent. When play was stopped on Wednesday, Isner had won the first set in a—what else?—tiebreaker, but Baghdatis was up a break, 3-1 in the second set. In other words, it looks like we’re heading five. Surprisingly, Isner has won all six of their previous meetings. But Baghdatis has had solid results during the grass season so far, and is a former Wimbledon semifinalist, while Isner hasn’t been past the third round here in seven tries. Still, head-to-head record, and their respective rankings—Isner is 17th, Baghdatis 40th—tilt this prediction toward the American.
Winner: Isner
The ninth-ranked Keys says she expects a tough test from the 51st-ranked Flipkens, and she’s right to be wary. Flipkens is a former Wimbledon semifinalist whose all-court style and one-handed backhand work well on grass, and allow her to defuse Keys’ power and throw a lot of different looks at her. These two have split their previous two matches, and each rolled by identical 6-3, 6-1 scores over a first-round opponent—Nicole Gibbs, in Flipkens’ case; Laura Siegemund, in Keys’ case—who might have been expected to put up a stiffer challenge. With Keys, though, that result is part of a positive pattern that began when she hooked up with coach Thomas Hogstedt during the clay season: Since the start of Rome, she’s 14-2.
Winner: Keys
