Day 2 at Wimbledon will see 32 women’s matches. We’ll wrap up the first round (weather-permitting) and find out who’s moving on to Round 2. As always, we at LWOT will share our thoughts on all of the matches for you. We split up the 32 matches between eight articles. The other articles feature Coco Gauff vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Serena Williams vs Harmony Tan, Garbine Muguruza vs Greet Minnen, Jessica Pegula vs Donna Vekic, Paula Badoa vs Louisa Chirico, Petra Kvitova vs Jasmine Paolini, and Iga Swiatek vs Jana Fett. Predicting today’s articles are Fraser Learmonth, Jakub Bobro, and Jim Smith.
Wimbledon Day 2 Women’s Predictions
Bianca Andreescu vs Emina Bektas
Fraser:
Andreescu is fresh off a finals appearance and has played some very good tennis in recent weeks. All she’s really missing is that killer instinct to finish off matches and we know from 2019 that it’s in there somewhere. Many of us here at LWOS have her making at least the semis of Wimbledon and that should start with a win here against the relatively unknown Bektas.
Prediction: Andreescu in 2
Jakub:
Andreescu is still waiting for her first main draw win at Wimbledon but is likely considered a contender coming in. The Canadian looked very good in both lead-ups, losing to Karolina Pliskova in a third-set tiebreak in Berlin and making the final in Bad Homburg. Bektas came through qualifying sort of surprisingly, going out in the first qualifying round in both Nottingham and Birmingham. The American beat former Top 40 player Fiona Ferro to qualify. Andreescu should be the winner here, a popular pick for dark horse in this draw.
Prediction: Andreescu in 2
Jim:
Will Andreescu win her first match at Wimbledon? The Canadian looks to be in good position to do so. She played solid if not spectacular tennis at the warm-up events and has been handed a favorable draw. Nothing is ever certain, but this looks pretty close to a sure thing for Andreescu.
Prediction: Andreescu in 2
Irina Bara vs Chloe Paquet
Fraser:
Tough match to call here. Bara is predominantly a red dirt player but has done well to make the main draw here. Paquet is a solid player but not quite of the level required to be a mainstay on the WTA Tour. The French women hits a bigger ball and that likely gives her the edge in this but it really could go either way.
Prediction: Paquet in 3
Jakub:
Both players are making their Wimbledon debuts after previous failed qualifying attempts. Both also have quite poor records on grass in small sample sizes, making it a tough one to call. Bara looked good as she qualified at Roland Garros while Paquet went a set up against Aryna Sabalenka there. I will flip a coin and go for Bara here.
Prediction: Bara in 3
Jim:
It’s hard to have much faith in either of these two. Neither has much grass-court pedigree and neither is in any sort of form. Both will also be making their Wimbledon debuts. But Paquet has at least played a match on grass this season, even if she only won four games.
Prediction: Paquet in 3
Dayana Yastremska vs Ana Bogdan
Fraser:
I think Yastremska is due a big result. The Ukrainian is too good not to find her way back towards the top end of the women’s rankings sooner or later. The added focus on Wimbledon brought about by the banning of Russian and Belarusian players may well give Yastremska a little bit of an edge and something more to play for here. If that’s the case then the women’s draw better look out. First in line to fall is Bogdan in this match.
Prediction: Yastremska in 2
Jakub:
Bogdan is looking to reach the second round here for the first time since 2017. The Romanian looked quite good in Gaiba, beating Linda Fruhvirtova and Arantxa Rus. Yastremska made the second week here in 2019, also looking good in her Birmingham quarterfinal run, where she defeated Magda Linette and Jelena Ostapenko. The Ukrainian’s last match was a bit concerning though, winning just two games against Donna Vekic. Despite that, I still see Yastremska winning here.
Prediction: Yastremska in 2
Jim:
Yastremska probably should win this match. But that is not to say that she will. After all, she followed her impressive run to the quarterfinals in Birmingham by being thrashed 0-6 2-6 by Donna Vekic in the first round in Eastbourne. Still, her game is better suited to the grass than Bogdan’s. That should be the difference in what promises to be a closely fought encounter.
Prediction: Yastremska in 3
Simona Halep vs Karolina Muchova
Fraser:
Halep has looked great in recent weeks and is a former champion here. However, Muchova’s game is perfect for grass courts and she is a real threat to go deep every time she plays at Wimbledon. She also has a knack of performing well in Grand Slams and I suspect we may be in for another such showing here. Halep may well return to the top of the women’s game, but it won’t happen in this tournament.
Prediction: Muchova in 3
Jakub:
A popcorn first round for sure. Halep is playing her first Wimbledon since winning the title here in 2019. Despite two strong lead-ups, semifinal runs in Birmingham and Bad Homburg, the former No. 1 as some question marks around her fitness as she withdrew before her last match with a neck injury. Muchova took a first-round loss to Ons Jabeur in Berlin but the Czech is still dangerous on grass, making the quarterfinals in both of her previous Wimbledon appearances. I expect a very entertaining match with Muchova winning it in the end.
Prediction: Muchova in 3
Jim:
This is a pretty tough first-round draw for Halep. Muchova is something of a Grand Slam specialist, demonstrating why again at the French Open where she reached the third round despite having almost no tennis behind her. But there are real concerns over her fitness whilst Halep has been in solid form. This might well be a challenge too far for Muchova.
Prediction: Halep in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
