Wimbledon 2022 Day 8: Men's singles predictions ft. Rafael Nadal vs Botic van de Zandschulp, Nick Kyrgios vs Brandon Nakashima

The schedule for Day 8 of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships is finally out. Sixteen players remain in the men's singles category and eight of them will play their fourth fixtures on Monday.

Nick Kyrgios and Brandon Nakashima get the proceedings underway on Centre Court, with World No. 4 Rafael Nadal’s clash with Botic van de Zandschulp the final match on the iconic court. Taylor Fritz and Jason Kubler will fight it out on Court 1, while Alex de Minaur takes on Cristian Garin on Court 2.

Without further ado, here are the predictions for some key men's singles matches on Day 8 of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships:

#1 Rafael Nadal vs Botic van de Zandschulp

Second seed Rafael Nadal will lock horns with 21st seed Botic van de Zandschulp in the fourth round of Wimbledon.

Competing at the grass Slam for the first time in three years, Nadal began with hard-fought wins against Francisco Cerundolo and Ricardas Berankis. He performed much better in the third round, comfortably dispatching Lorenzo Sonego in three sets.

Following emphatic wins over Feliciano Lopez, Emil Ruusuvuori and Richard Gasquet, Dutchman van de Zanschulp is through to the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time in his career.

In their only meeting on the tour at the 2022 French Open, Nadal beat van de Zandschulp in straight sets en route to the Roland Garros title.

Nadal will be the favorite heading into this contest. In the defeat of Italian Sonego, his trademark forehand was on fire, while he dispatched winners from all corners. While van de Zandschulp has a game ideally suited to grass, Nadal will be a bit too strong to beat on Centre Court.

Predicted winner: Rafael Nadal.

#2 Nick Kyrgios vs Brandon Nakashima

Nick Kyrgios faces Brandon Nakashima in the fourth round of Wimbledon.

Kyrgios is currently on a good run and stands one win away from making the last eight of the grass Major for a second time. The Aussie beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in an entertaining, drama-filled third-round encounter.

It was the 27-year-old’s second three-hour-plus contest at Wimbledon this year. It took him three hours and eight minutes to beat Britain’s Paul Jubb in the first round. The World No. 40 got past 26th seed Filip Krajinovic without a hiccup in the second round. He has a 19-6 record this year and is 10-2 on grass. A semifinalist in Stuttgart and Halle, there is little to stop the World No. 40 from making a deep run at SW19.

With not a lot expected from Nakashima on grass, the American has surprised everyone by reaching the fourth round of a Major for the first time in his career. He beat Nicola Kuhn, last year’s semifinalist and 13th seed Denis Shapovalov, and Daniel Elahi Galan on his way to the fourth round.

Kyrgios and Nakashima have not faced each other so far.

Nakashima runs into Kyrgios, one of the best players on grass and someone who is playing at his best right now. It will take a massive effort for the American to beat Kyrgios, with all signs pointing to the Australian winning this contest in straight sets.

Predicted winner: Nick Kyrgios.

#3 Taylor Fritz vs Jason Kubler

11th seed Taylor Fritz faces qualifier Jason Kubler in the fourth round of Wimbledon.

Fritz entered Wimbledon as the Eastbourne champion and his three wins at Wimbledon have extended his win streak to seven matches. The 24-year-old American is yet to drop a set in the tournament, having beaten Lorenzo Musetti, Alastair Gray and Alex Molcan. The 2022 Indian Wells champion has a 28-10 record this season.

Having never won a second-round match at a Major before Wimbledon 2022, World No. 99 Kubler is enjoying a dream run at SW19. The Aussie won an entertaining five-setter against Jack Sock in the third round, which was preceded by wins against 28th seed Dan Evans and Dennis Novak in the opening rounds. Earlier, the 29-year-old beat Cem Ilkel, Thiago Agustin Tirante and Elias Ymer in straight sets to qualify for the main draw.

Fritz has previously faced Kubler once, in the second round of the 2018 US Open, where he was leading 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 before an ankle injury forced Kubler to retire.

While Kubler has had a memorable season this year, he will have to play at his best to match Fritz, who is unbeaten in seven matches.

The American has a solid forehand, moves well on the court and has the ability to pick out winners from tight angles, making him the favorite to progress to the quarterfinals.

Predicted winner: Taylor Fritz.

#4 Alex de Minaur vs Cristian Garin

19th seed Alex de Minaur will meet Chile’s Cristian Garin in the fourth round of Wimbledon.

De Minaur’s tournament began with a straight-sets win against Hugo Dellien. He then came from a set down to beat local lad Jack Draper in the second round. The 2020 US Open quarterfinalist then took out another Brit, Liam Broady, in his latest match to reach the fourth round for the first time at Wimbledon.

Garin beat Elias Ymer and Hugo Grenier in straight sets in the first two rounds, before getting past 29th seed Jenson Brooksby in the third round. The World No. 43 has made it to the Round of 16 at Wimbledon for the second consecutive year.

De Minaur is yet to taste defeat at the hands of Garin. They have faced each other thrice so far, with the Australian’s most recent win coming in Eastbourne this year. He should be able to protect that perfect record and make it to his second Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Predicted winner: Alex de Minaur.