Lincoln Predictions & Picks — July 17, 2026

A spot in the next round is at stake on Friday, when Colton Smith goes up against Y. Bu in the Lincoln quarterfinal. Colton Smith has won 8 of the last 10. Y. Bu has won 5 of the last 10.

The two have never played — a first meeting always adds a layer of uncertainty the numbers can't fully capture.

Neither the serve numbers nor the ratings separate these two by much, which is why our number stays close to even. Bu comes in off a compressed schedule. A tiebreak or two would surprise nobody, with Smith fractionally more likely to land the big points.

Friday's Lincoln quarterfinal pits Mark Lajal against Rio Noguchi on hard. Mark Lajal has won 6 of the last 10. Rio Noguchi comes in at 5 wins from the last ten.

The two have never played — a first meeting always adds a layer of uncertainty the numbers can't fully capture.

The serve is where this match separates: Lajal has been winning 73.6% of first-serve points to Noguchi's 65.5%, and on hard that gap compounds fast. A tiebreak or two would surprise nobody, with Lajal fractionally more likely to land the big points.

Friday's Lincoln quarterfinal pits Coleman Wong against Steve Johnson on hard. Coleman Wong is searching for form, having lost 5 in a row (2 of the last 10). Steve Johnson comes in at 4 wins from the last ten.

The two have never played — a first meeting always adds a layer of uncertainty the numbers can't fully capture.

On paper it's close: comparable ratings, comparable serve numbers, small margins everywhere. This one is close to a coin flip, and the lean toward Wong is exactly that — a lean.