The third slam of the season is in full swing as the third round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships wraps up on Day 6. The All England Club draw has given us some scintillating Round 3 matchups, including No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek vs Yulia Putintseva. As always, we at LWOT have our roundtable predictions for all the Wimbledon action. Damian, Jordan, and Yesh offer their insights.
Wimbledon Women’s Day 6 Predictions
Anna Kalinskaya vs Liudmila Samsonova
Damian
That’s a tough nut to crack in terms of the prediction. Both excellent grass-courters, Kalinskaya more relying on the early timing while Samsonova’s monstrous flat-hitting also loves the conditions. This will probably depend on how effectively the Australian Open quarter-finalist can take time away. Seems like you could just flip a coin here.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 3
Jordan
Both players have been very good on grass this year, including impressive performances in the opening two rounds in London. In this matchup though, I trust Kalinskaya’s aggressive baseline hitting to be slightly more consistent. Samsonova probably needs to make a lot of first-serves to have a good chance.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 3
Yesh
Both of these women are playing well and have a shot at a dream run here, but Samsonova has a higher ceiling. I think that will be the difference.
Prediction: Samsonova in 3
Harriet Dart vs Wang Xinyu
Damian
This third round match we expected Jessica Pegula to face Katie Boulter, but instead we received a couple of upsets. Xinyu Wang was so impressive in her win over the American, especially overcoming the disappointment of dropping the second set to demolish her in the third. She’s got more upside than Dart, whose grass wins are mostly based on her experience on the surface than actually being that well-suited to it.
Prediction: Wang in 3
Jordan
Dart upset Katie Boulter in the last round, while Wang pulled off the biggest women’s second-round shock by beating the No. 5 seed Jessica Pegula. Wang’s performance was a lot more impressive than Dart’s though. She played incredibly to overcome Pegula, while Dart narrowly won a scrappy encounter against Boulter. If Wang can find her powerful forehand again, even Dart’s solid defense will find it tough to cope.
Prediction: Wang in 2
Yesh
Harriet Dart did so well to take out the high-flying Katie Boulter in Round 2. Unfortunately, that win came on the back of her playing less badly than her compatriot. Meanwhile, Xinyu Wang was even more impressive in taking out Jessica Pegula.
Prediction: Wang in 2
Barbora Krejcikova vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
Damian
This is another pretty open section of the draw and that Krejcikova vs Kudermetova round one kinda sticks in my head. Both players were out of form and their three-hour match was a mess, but it felt clear that either could still go on a run given the opportunity ahead. It seems like Krejcikova might have found enough of her game back to keep going.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 3
Jordan
Will Bouzas Maneiro’s unexpected run continue? It is a big test for her against Krejcikova, who battled through two very tight and entertaining sets against Katie Volynets in the last round. Bouzas Maneiro has a similar gritty and athletic style to Volynets, meaning Krejcikova’s last match may be good preparation for this battle. The Czech is backed to end the Spaniard’s run.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 3
Yesh
What a run this is from Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. She easily took out the defending champion in Round 1, and backed it up with a solid win over Cristina Bucsa in Round 2. Don’t be surprised if she wins this one, too.
Prediction: Bouzas Maneiros in 3
Iga Swiatek vs Yulia Putintseva
Damian
This will be a very different matchup for Swiatek than Martic or Kenin in the previous round. The Pole was struggling on return a fair bit, but it won’t be a concern against a great counter-puncher like Putintseva. That doesn’t mean the Kazakh isn’t tricky, she already pushed her in Rome this year. You kinda have to think Swiatek will have enough time to work things out somehow.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Jordan
Swiatek usually enjoys competing against players with Putintseva’s style, since the Kazakhstani does not possess a lot of power. Having said that, Putintseva’s crafty style is more likely to cause the world No. 1 trouble on grass.The Birmingham Classic champion has also won her last eight matches on grass. I am still backing Swiatek to prevail, but in a close encounter.
Prediction: Swiatek in 3
Yesh
Swiatek has never loved the grass, and Putintseva is very comfortable on this surface. I don’t think she has the power to upset the World #1, but this could get frustrating for Swiatek.
Prediction: Swiatek in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
