Day 2 of Wimbledon brings a full half of the women’s first round–32 matches in all. And as always, we here at LastWordOnTennis predict every single one for you. We split Tuesday’s matches between eight articles. In addition to this one, our other articles feature Iga Swiatek vs Sofia Kenin, Jelena Ostapenko vs Ajla Tomljanovic, Danielle Collins vs Clara Tauson, Barbora Krejcikova vs Veronika Kudermetova, Elena Rybakina vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Caroline Wozniacki vs Alycia Parks, and Ons Jabeur vs Moyuka Uchijima. Predicting these matches are Damian Kust, Jordan Reynolds, and Manuel Traquete. Who do you think will win?
Wimbledon Day 2 Predictions
Katie Boulter vs Tatjana Maria
Damian:
Boulter defended that Nottingham title and should be among the best players on grass on tour. But can she get tripped up by the slice and dice game of Maria, a former Wimbledon semifinalist? The Brit needs to play smart to win here and not press too much.
Prediction: Boulter in 3
Jordan:
Boulter’s power against 2022 semifinalist Maria’s craftiness could be one of the best women’s first round matches. However, Boulter is the favorite to progress. The Nottingham Open champion is playing very well on grass right now and 36-year-old Maria will struggle to consistently cope with her power.
Prediction: Boulter in 2
Manuel:
Maria reached the semifinals at Wimbledon 2022, but her career has really declined since and as things stand Boulter is easily the better player and should be able to score a first round victory at her home Slam.
Prediction: Boulter in 2
Harriet Dart vs Zhuoxuan Bai
Damian:
Dart isn’t even that dangerous on grass, but she moves well and has more experience on the surface than the rest of the tour. It can be enough to trip up some players though and Bai is still growing into her game a little bit with the experience she’s been gathering.
Prediction: Dart in 3
Jordan:
Bai is a decent player on grass. She reached the second round last year and came through the qualifying very impressively to get to the main draw this year. Dart also plays well on the grass, but I think the home favourite will suffer an upset here. Bai’s consistent style is capable of disrupting the Briton very effectively.
Prediction: Bai in 3
Manuel:
It should be a very close match between two players of a very similar level. Bai made it through qualifying and will have some momentum, but playing at home might make the difference in favour of Dart.
Prediction: Dart in 3
Xinyu Wang vs Viktoriya Tomova
Damian:
It’s a tough one as Wang’s grass season was mostly on horrible draws with Jabeur and Kasatkina in her opening rounds. Meanwhile Tomova made Bad Homburg semis, but who’s the higher-quality player overall? It’s Wang in my book.
Prediction: Wang in 3
Jordan:
Tomova had a good run to the semifinal in Bad Homburg heading into Wimbledon. She will be confident of continuing that momentum against Wang, who plays her best tennis on hard courts. The Bulgarian has a good chance of doing it in straight sets as well.
Prediction: Tomova in 2
Manuel:
While it should be a very close match, Wang has had a bit of an edge in their previous matchups, repeatedly coming through in key moments. That pattern could very well repeat itself here.
Prediction: Wang in 3
Jessica Pegula vs Ashlyn Krueger
Damian:
Far from the easiest Round 1 for Pegula, who’s facing a countrywoman with easy power. Krueger’s grass court performances have been nothing special and she’ll likely not have enough to take this match, but last year’s quarterfinalist has to be fairly cautious here.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
Jordan:
Pegula’s repeated losses in Grand Slam quarterfinals mean not many have considered her as one of the title challengers at Wimbledon. But she almost defeated the eventual champion Marketa Vondrousova last year and recently won the title in Berlin. Grass suits her game well and she could surprise some at SW19 this year. The 30-year-old should be too good for Krueger, who possesses a lot of power but is not very comfortable on grass.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
Manuel:
Pegula tends to underperform deep in Slams, but she is one of the most consistent players on tour and she comes into Wimbledon with a lot of momentum after winning the title in Berlin. She should make quick work of this opening round.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
Main Photo Credit: Peter Van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports
