There should be plenty of entertaining action on day eight at All England Club – or ‘Manic Monday’ in the common parlance. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Iga Swiatek vs Ons Jabeur and Cori Gauff vs Angelique Kerber. But who will book their place in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon?
Wimbledon Day 8 Predictions
Ash Barty vs Barbora Krejcikova
Jim: The reasoning behind freezing the rankings made sense at the time, but as we (hopefully) head towards a return to normality, it has seen some rankings not reflecting a player’s standing in the game. French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova is one of those players and it’s a shame that one of this pair will be leaving the tournament so early. Ash Barty has looked that much more convincing on the grass, however. Expect the Australian to advance.
Prediction: Barty in 3
Damian: The world #1 had some uneven patches in her first three matches, but she’s still very likely to progress in this meeting between Roland Garros champions. Her game is just that much better suited to grass with the deadly slice and the great variety in the spin and placement of her serve. The Australian has also been problem-solving really well and seems to be match tough despite not playing a lot recently.
Prediction: Barty in 2
Andy: The Aussie saved herself some pain by finishing off Katerina Siniakova in two sets, despite failing to serve it out originally. However, Krejcikova went very much through the wringer in her battle with Anastasija Sevastova and will be glad of the day’s rest before this match. But Krejcikova may be at the end of her powers on this surface as well as running out of a bit of steam and that Barty will come through this challenge.
Prediction: Barty in 3
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Viktorija Golubic vs Madison Keys
Jim: It has been good to see Viktorija Golubic translating her considerable success away from the spotlight this season into a deep run at a Major. The Swiss has been in the habit of winning and this looks another match she has a good chance in. That said, Madison Keys’ power is just about unmatchable. The American can’t always string it together, but she’s a very difficult player to beat when she does.
Prediction: Keys in 3
Damian: It’s 41 match wins for Golubic this year and her best appearance at a Grand Slam. She’s scored a couple of wins of this quality before, but usually, she melts when the pressure is this big. Keys’ powerful game suits the grass very well, although somehow Wimbledon is the only one she’s never made the semifinals in. Golubic’s one-hander is but I’m not convinced it will hold up against all these huge balls from the American.
Prediction: Keys in 2
Andy: The Swiss is still perennially ignored but her recent record deserves a lot of respect. Keys is coming back around to good form after a long spell of disappointment. There’s a lot to back up an upset today, Golubic leads the head-to-head 2-1 and percentage-wise she has been winning more games and losing fewer in this tournament. She has also won her last five as an underdog.
Prediction: Golubic in 3
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Paula Badosa vs Karolina Muchova
Jim: Karolina Muchova hasn’t really been talked about as one of the leading contenders for the title at Wimbledon. That should change after this match. The Czech’s all-court attacking game makes her well-suited to the grass and her run to the Australian Open semifinals earlier this season has given her big match experience. Paula Badosa is in excellent form, but this doesn’t look like a good matchup for the Spaniard.
Prediction: Muchova in 3
Damian: The Czech made the fourth round in the last edition of Wimbledon and she’s coming back to make it even deeper this time. Her game is a very natural fit for grass and while she’s flying under the radar for now, maintaining that level won’t keep her there for long. Badosa had a much tougher encounter against Linette and while parts of that match were really great, she also left way too much initiative to the Pole. She can’t repeat that mistake here.
Prediction: Muchova in 3
Andy: Statistically there’s very little between these two during the tournament. They also match up over their season victory ratio as well so this comes down to assessing match-up on the court. Though both are clean strikers of the ball I think that Muchova has a slightly better serve and more power to put Badosa under pressure so I will edge towards her.
Prediction: Muchova in 3
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Elena Rybakina vs Aryna Sabalenka
Jim: Neither Elena Rybakina nor Arnya Sabalenka have classic grass-court skillsets. But the game has evolved and even if grass courts are slower than they once were, they still reward players who hit the ball as hard as this pair can. But Sabalenka, after passing the test posed by Katie Boulter in the second round, looks to be playing with some freedom. She might just pick up a big win here.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Damian: In Sabalenka’s fifteenth Grand Slam main draw, she’s still seeking her first quarterfinal appearance. It might be time to finally end the curse and grab a deep run at a major, something she should have as the world #4 and the second seed at Wimbledon. It’s definitely not going to be easy though, as Rybakina is yet to drop a shot here and almost matches her in the power department.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 3
Andy: Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 2-0 but both matches were three sets. This will come down to who can control their game the best and keep the unforced errors down. Expect another three set battle here but I fancy Sabalenka to edge it through sheer quality.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 3
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