Three to See: 2011 Wimbledon, Day 3

Each day during Wimbledon, we'll select three of the most intriguing matches on the schedule and offer our predictions.

Milos Raonic [31] vs. Gilles Muller (No. 3 Court, second match)
Like Djokovic-del Potro at Roland Garros, Nadal-Raonic is the potential marquee early-rounder of this particular Slam. Will it happen? I don't see Ryan Sweeting causing Rafa much trouble, but Muller is a trickier hurdle, especially on grass. The lefty has a big serve and just won a Challenger on turf, in Nottingham (where he beat Sweeting in straights). Raonic has an answer for that serve?his own, which is even bigger. Because of that shot, we assume the youngster's game is tailored for grass, but is it really? We have just a few matches worth of evidence to go on, and should have another while we consider his chances against Nadal.

The Pick: Raonic in three.

Vera Zvonareva [2] vs. Elena Vesnina (No. 2 Court, second match)
I received some flak for my take on Zvonareva's three-set struggle in round one, but this is the No. 2 seed we're talking about here. It was a sketchy if successful showing, a performance that might have been a failure had someone of Vesnina's caliber been across the net. The unseeded Russian has been around for a while but hasn't been able to make a permanent leap into the tour's upper crust, though she's had her moments. Zvonareva would be wise to avoid another mid-match letdown, but her Day 1 struggle should yield one positive: She should learn from her mistake.

The Pick: Zvonareva in two.

Fernando Verdasco [21] vs. Robin Haase (Court 12, second match)
What does Verdasco have left after Tuesday's five-set comeback win over Radek Stepanek? For Haase, hopefully not much. But the Dutchman could win this simply based on current form: Haase blasted his way past Pere Riba, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, in the first round; the Spaniard has stuggled for most of the season.

The Pick: Haase in four.

Ed McGrogan is the online editor of TENNIS.com.

Source: http://feeds.tennis.com/~r/tenniscom-features/~3/ipLNH-yqTho/

gear clothing athletic jogging