Day 2 of Wimbledon is one of the two busiest days in tennis. 64 women will compete in 32 matches to move on to the second round. We here at LWOT will be predicting all of them for you, split between eight articles. In addition to this article, the other seven feature Barbora Krejcikova vs Clara Tauson, Serena Williams vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Victoria Azarenka vs Kateryna Kozlova, Angelique Kerber vs Nina Stojanovic, Coco Gauff vs Francesca Jones, Ashleigh Barty vs Carla Suarez Navarro, and Bianca Andreescu vs Alize Cornet. Predicting these matches today are Jakub Bobro, Andrew Watson, and Yesh Ginsburg.
Wimbledon Day 2 Women’s Predictions
Olga Govortsova vs Coco Vandeweghe
Yesh:
Vandeweghe has struggled with injuries and for form for years now. However, she’s finally finding a measure of consistency and health. She’s always liked the grass, and now she has another chance to show it.
Prediction: Vandeweghe in 2
Jakub:
Govortsova will be making her first Wimbledon main draw appearance since 2016 and surely hopes to emulate her qualifying to Round of 16 run from 2015. The Belarusian beat Marie Benoit, Rebecca Sramkova, and Cristina Bucsa to qualify this year. Vandeweghe is back at Wimbledon for the first time since 2018 and the two-time quarterfinalist will be someone to watch. The American is also in solid form, reaching the semifinals of Birmingham as a qualifier.
Prediction: Vandeweghe in 2
Andrew:
Finally some form from Coco. She reached the semifinals in Birmingham and that would give the former Wimbledon semifinalist a huge boost of confidence. Govortsova qualified here so is in good touch herself and this will be a tough match still. However, Vandeweghe does still have the weapons to win this match.
Prediction: Vandeweghe in 3
Kristyna Pliskova vs Danka Kovinic
Yesh:
Pliskova is not a top player, though she likes likes the grass. In fact, she has defeated her sister on the surface before. She’s not consistent enough to be confident in a win, but she should have the more powerful game in this matchup.
Prediction: Pliskova in 2
Jakub:
Despite having a game well-suited to grass, Pliskova has only managed to reach the third round at Wimbledon once. The Czech is also having a poor year, her record being 3-9, with all wins coming in Doha qualifying. Kovinic is having a better year compared to Pliskova, reaching the final at Charleston; however, she has never won a main draw match at Wimbledon.
Prediction: Pliskova in 3
Andrew:
The serve and forehand game of Pliskova is predicted to be enough to see off the Montenegrin here.
Prediction: Pliskova in 3
Ellen Perez vs Clara Burel
Yesh:
I don’t have a particular favorite in this match. Both players are decent on the grass, and neither is consistent enough to trust. Perez’s win over Oceane Dodin in qualifying was pretty impressive, though, so I’ll give her the nod.
Prediction: Perez in 3
Jakub:
A battle of qualifiers, though two very different qualifiers. Perez is primarily a doubles specialist with ranking within the Top 50, while 20-year-old Burel is the next great hope for French women’s tennis. En route to qualifying, Burel defeated Maja Chwalinska, Sachia Vickery, and Storm Sanders. Perez beat Leonie Kung, Julia Grabher, and Oceane Dodin, all without losing a set.
Prediction: Burel in 2
Andrew:
A battle of the qualifiers here. Both had really tough matches to win through and this would be a huge achievement for either to get to round two. It’s very difficult to call it but Burel seems to have an improving profile and impressed to beat Storm Sanders in qualifying.
Prediction: Burel in 3
Jelena Ostapenko vs Leylah Annie Fernandez
Yesh:
Two months ago I would have picked the Canadian for the upset. She is young and rising and looks like a potential future star. Unfortunately for her, Ostapenko is a prodigious talent, especially on grass, and the Latvian looks to be playing her tennis right now.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
Jakub:
The 18-year-old Fernandez played her first pro grass court matches this season in Birmingham, beating Yafan Wang and pushing the winner of the tournament, Ons Jabeur, to a third-set tiebreaker. Ostapenko, a 2018 semifinalist at Wimbledon, has far more experience on grass, arguably the Latvian’s best surface. The 24-year-old is also coming into Wimbledon in great form, having just won the title in Eastbourne.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
Andrew:
Looking at all the form lines it looks likely that the Latvian will emerge victorious here. She is coming back to good form in 2021, she has an emphatic winning record on grass and has Grand Slam winning experience. Fernandez will grow into this surface but is very much still learning.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
Main Photo:
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