An excellent day of tennis should be in store at Wimbledon. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Elise Mertens vs Camila Osorio, Emma Raducanu vs Alison van Uytvanck, Maria Sakkari vs Zoe Hives, Ons Jabeur vs Mirjam Bjorklund, Katie Swan vs Marta Kostyuk, Anett Kontaveit vs Bernarda Pera, and Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Kaja Juvan. But who will secure their place in the second round at the Championships?
Wimbledon Day 1 Predictions
Jelena Ostapenko vs Oceane Dodin
Jim: Jelena Ostapenko played some impressive tennis in reaching the final in Eastbourne. The manner of her defeat there at the hands of Petra Kvitova suggests that talk of a run to the title is probably premature, but she can certainly play on the grass. Expect her to have too much for Oceane Dodin.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
Yesh: Ostapenko is in good form at the moment, which should absolutely terrify the entire Tour. There are very few who can beat the Latvian when her game is clicking and don’t forget that she’s a former-semifinalist at Wimbledon. Dodin isn’t one of those few.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
Jakub: Everything seems to be lined up for Ostapenko here as she comes in with form and a very favourable draw to the quarterfinals. We have learned better than to put expectations on the Latvian though, who is one of the most unpredictable players around. However, Ostapenko really was ripping through the Eastbourne draw until she was stopped by Petra Kvitova in the final and Dodin employs a similar hit-or-miss style, but less effectively. If the Latvian does not put too much pressure on herself, she should take the first step towards a title challenge here.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
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Sorana Cirstea vs Aleksandra Krunic
Jim: Aleksandra Krunic will make Sorana Cirstea work for this win, the Serbian always does, but she probably doesn’t have quite enough quality to win this match. It has been a solid grass-court swing for her though, giving her something to build on ahead of the North American summer.
Prediction: Cirstea in 2
Yesh: Cirstea is in solid form at the moment. She never quite reached the peaks some expected of her a decade ago, but she’s a solid player who consistently produces solid performances. That’s all she needs to do here.
Prediction: Cirstea in 2
Jakub: Cirstea has not had the best Wimbledon results, never reaching the second week. The Romanian looked good in Birmingham though, reaching the semifinals there after wins over Shelby Rogers and Donna Vekic. Krunic has gone 4-3, starting in qualifying in both Birmingham and Eastbourne. The Serb earned wins over Caty McNally and Petra Martic. It’s a close match but I expect the Romanian to come out on top.
Prediction: Cirstea in 2
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Kaia Kanepi vs Diane Parry
Jim: Every time Kaia Kanepi looks to be going quietly into retirement, the Estonian returns to dump a big name out of a big tournament and go on a handy run herself. Wimbledon is potentially the trickiest place for her to do that, with grass not necessarily suited to her natural game, but when you can hit the ball as powerful and accurately as she does, you’re a danger wherever you play.
Prediction: Kanepi in 2
Yesh: Kanepi is showing she’s nowhere near done yet. She’s usually good for an upset or two, though she can ironically struggle against weaker players. Parry is neither weaker nor elite, but I think Kanepi should be favoured here.
Prediction: Kanepi in 3
Jakub: Kanepi, a two-time quarterfinalist at Wimbledon only took losses to very strong players, going 1-2 but only losing to Karolina Pliskova and Beatriz Haddad Maia in three sets. Parry, who never played at Wimbledon before, played her first matches on grass in Gaiba, where she beat Tatjana Maria en route to the semifinals. The Estonian should be the favourite with all her experience over the years.
Prediction: Kanepi in 2
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Danielle Collins vs Marie Bouzkova
Jim: Danielle Collins has generally impressed in 2022 and if this is a relatively tough first-round draw, it is hardly an insurmountable challenge. Marie Bouzkova is a better player than her ranking suggests, but that does not mean she is a better player than Collins.
Prediction: Collins in 2
Yesh: Collins is having a great season, and there’s zero reason to think that won’t continue. Bouzkova isn’t the easiest first-round draw, but the American likes the grass and it suits her aggressive game.
Prediction: Collins in 2
Jakub: Collins has played very sparingly this season, participating in just six tournaments and not playing any grass warm-ups. Bouzkova played just one grass match, losing to Shelby Rogers in three sets. The two faced off at Newport Beach in 2018 with the American winning out. Collins should be the favourite here.
Prediction: Collins in 2
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