It should be an entertaining first day at Wimbledon with 32 intriguing first-round matches on the schedule in south-west London. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Danielle Collins vs Julie Grabher, Victoria Azarenka vs Yuan Yue, Sloane Stephens vs Rebecca Peterson, Jessica Pegula vs Lauren Davis, Iga Swiatek vs Zhu Lin, Venus Williams vs Elina Svitolina and Caroline Garcia vs Katie Volynets. But who will advance?
Wimbledon Day 1 Predictions
Coco Gauff vs Sofia Kenin
Jack: Sofia Kenin was one of the few players to get through her qualifying draw with ease. Coco Gauff has had a pretty tough season and, though her grass season has been decent, those doubts might start to sift into her game in the first round of a Grand Slam. I think she’ll get through but this could go down to the wire.
Prediction: Gauff in 3
Jakub: Gauff put together a nice run to the Eastbourne semifinals, beating Jessica Pegula en route. The 19-year-old has shown promise on grass, already reaching the second week twice at Wimbledon. Kenin has continued to struggle this season and has never advanced past the second round at Wimbledon but impressed in her qualifying run. The 24-year-old ripped through qualifying, particularly impressing in her last match against Taylor Townsend. Kenin will be a tricky opponent to start against but Gauff should come through.
Prediction: Gauff in 3
Jordan: This may be the most exciting matchup of the first round. French open finalist and rising star Coco Gauff battles 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. Kenin however is now outside the top 100 and grass is the surface she’s had the least success on. It’s hard to see anything else but a Gauff win.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
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Elise Mertens vs Viktoria Hruncakova
Jack: Elise Mertens in Grand Slams versus players ranked outside of the top 50? Let’s look at her performance post-2016 when she established herself within the top 100—Mertens is a frankly ludicrous 45-2. This match versus Viktoria Hruncakova should go the same way as last month’s Roland Garros meeting.
Prediction: Mertens in 2
Jakub: Mertens has had solid results at Wimbledon, reaching the third or fourth round in each of her last four appearances. The Belgian had to retire from her last match just a week ago though, opening the door for qualifier Hruncakova (formerly Kuzmova). The Slovak has never won a set against Mertens, but grass and the fitness question marks gives her the edge for me, especially after beating Clara Tauson in her last match.
Prediction: Hruncakova in 2
Jordan: This is another interesting matchup. Mertens has twice reached the fourth round at Wimbledon but has struggled with injury in the lead up to Wimbledon. Hruncakova has never got past the first round at Wimbledon, but made the semi finals in Hertogenbosch as a qualifier. I’ll back Mertens to just edge through.
Prediction: Mertens in 3
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Donna Vekic vs Zhang Shuai
Jack: Zhang Shuai has lost a ton of confidence on a 10-match losing streak and Donna Vekic’s game can be overwhelming on grass. There shouldn’t be too many problems for the Croat here.
Prediction: Vekic in 2
Jakub: Vekic comes in off of a great run to the final of Berlin, beating Elena Rybakina and Maria Sakkari in the process. Zhang has had some nice runs at Wimbledon in the past, especially when she reached the quarterfinals in 2019. However, the 34-year-old has really struggled this season, having now lost 11 straight matches and even breaking down in her Roland Garros press conference. I really hope Zhang can turn it around but it will likely not be against as good of a grass-courter as Vekic is.
Prediction: Vekic in 2
Jordan: This is one of the more fun first-round matches on paper. Vekic reached the final in Berlin a few weeks ago and boasts 4 grass court finals on her CV. Zhang is also very accomplished on grass with a Wimbledon quarterfinal and two grass court finals. I will back 20th seed Vekic to come through, but whoever the winner is could make a strong run.
Prediction: Vekic in 3
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Anett Kontaveit vs Lucrezia Stefanini
Jack: This could be Anett Kontaveit’s last ever match. Though the Estonian is injured, knowing there are no more tournaments to recover for could let her throw caution to the wind. Lucrezia Stefanini will be there for the taking—will Kontaveit go out with a bang?
Prediction: Kontaveit in 2
Jakub: Sadly, Kontaveit’s final tournament here as she gets ready to retire at 27 due to back issues. Stefanini, who overcame Hsieh Su-Wei in the final qualifying round, won’t be an easy opponent. I believe Kontaveit will summon everything she has left and get one last win here.
Prediction: Kontaveit in 3
Jordan: Kontaveit has reached the third round of Wimbledon in the past. She elected not to play any tournaments in the run up to Wimbledon. She should have too much for Stefanini, who is competing in just her second Grand Slam.
Prediction: Kontaveit in 2
Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
