Day 3 of Wimbledon this year will see a lot more than the scheduled 16 women’s matches. Due to the rain the first few days, plenty of matches have been pushed off from Tuesday to Wednesday. We’ve already shared our thoughts on those matches with you, so today we present our predictions for the 16 Round 2 matches scheduled. We look at four matches in this article, and the other 12 are split between three other articles. One features Aryna Sabalenka vs Katie Boulter, the second headlines Venus Williams vs Ons Jabeur, and the third features Marria Sakkari vs Shelby Rogers. Predicting this set of matches are Jim Smith, Damian Kust, and David Gertler.
Wimbledon Day 3 Women’s Predictions
Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove vs Garbine Muguruza
Damian:
Muguruza only spent about 50 minutes on the court against Ferro, losing only a single game. The draw is very kind this year to the former champion and she should continue to cruise here.
Prediction: Muguruza in 2
Jim:
Garbine Muguruza was in a destructive mood in the first round, hammering Fiona Ferro for the loss of only one game. If she maintains that level, she will surely have too much for the qualifier Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove, who has never played in the second round at a Major before.
Prediction: Muguruza in 2
David:
Former champion Garbine Muguruza smashed Fiona Ferro in her first round match at Wimbledon, only losing one game. Muguruza held Ferro to only 4% second serves won, an incredible returning effort. Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove was one point from going out in the final round of qualifying to Jule Niemeir, but stayed strong mentally in that match and then beat Svetlana Kuznetsova in the 1st round of the main draw. Pattinama Kekhove’s flatter groundstrokes and aggressive mentality work well on the grass, but Muguruza should outclass her with her elite offensive tennis.
Prediction: Muguruza in 2
Kristie Ahn vs Sloane Stephens
Damian:
At the French Open, Stephens went from playing her best tennis to being plainly awful against Krejcikova. She now got another big win against the two-time champion Kvitova but will she be able to keep it up? The result here should be almost solely dependent on the quality of her performance.
Prediction: Stephens in 3
Jim:
Sloane Stephens remains plagued by inconsistency, but she is still capable of playing some excellent tennis when she is on song. She proved as much in her first-round win over former-champion Petra Kvitova. She will need to guard against a let down here, but this is a match she should be winning.
Prediction: Stephens in 2
David:
Kristie Ahn had to save a match point during her tight three-set win over Heather Watson in the first round. Ahn has not had a good season, but used her lucky loser spot in the draw to her advantage. Sloane Stephens got a huge win over Petra Kvitova in the f1st round. Stephens counterpunched beautifully and refused to let Kvitova control the baseline. Ann plays a solid baseline game, but Stephens’ defensive skills and ability to turn defense-into-offense should be the difference in this match.
Prediction: Stephens in 2
Nadia Podoroska vs Tereza Martincova
Damian:
This can be close but as much as Podoroska has been a surprise package of the grass season so far, Martincova has a much more natural game for this surface. She was in great form in the warm-ups and should take advantage of the opportunity that presented itself.
Prediction: Martincova in 2
Jim:
Nadia Podoroska’s return to the French Open went disastrously for the Argentine as she crashed out in the first round. But she made an impressive debut at Wimbledon, beating Ann Li in straight sets to reach the second round. She may not have things all her own way against Tereza Martincova, but the fundamentals of her game are better than the Czech’s and that should tell in her favor.
Prediction: Podoroska in 3
David:
Nadia Podoroska got a surprise victory over Ann Li in the first round. Podoroska’s topspin-centric game (especially on the forehand side) is not built for grass, but she managed to make it work in the 1st round. Tereza Martincova beat grass-specialist Alison Riske in the 1st round. Martincova is solid from the baseline and already beat Jelena Ostapenko in the 1st round, giving Ostapenko the opportunity to self-destruct. Ultimately, I don’t trust Podoroska’s forehand to hold up on grass and Martincova is playing consistent baseline tennis. Martincova advances.
Prediction: Martincova in 3
Elena Rybakina vs Claire Liu
Damian:
Claire Liu is having a great season, racking up wins on the ITF Tour and qualifying for Wimbledon here. She’ll likely be outmatched here though, as Rybakina was brilliant in her Eastbourne semifinal run and seems to be firing on all cylinders right now.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Jim:
Elena Rybakina proved too strong for Kristina Mladenovic in the first round, recording a dominant 6-4 6-0 win over the Frenchwoman. The qualifier Claire Liu clearly has a bright future, having impressed in coming through the qualifying before edging out Misaki Doi in a three-set thriller. But this will surely be a challenge too far for the American.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
David:
Elena Rybakina is having a very good grass court season, having made the final in Eastbourne and then comfortably beating Mladenovic in the 1st round. Clare Liu is having a breakthrough season and she showed great mental toughness in beating Misaki Doi 9-7 in the 3rd set in her 1st round match from a set down. Ultimately, Rybakina has a little more power and consistency than Liu, which will make the difference in this one.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
