The WTA Wimbledon first-round qualifying competition begins on Tuesday. It’s the most prestigious tournament in tennis, known as The Championships in Great Britain. One interesting thing about Wimbledon qualifying, as opposed to the main draw itself, is that qualifying is not held on the grounds of the All-England Club, where the main draw occurs. Qualifying is held at Roehampton. The reason for this is simple enough: Wimbledon wants its courts clean and not chewed up for the start of the main draw, which will be this year on Monday, June 29. Roehampton hosts three days of qualifying through Thursday. Many dozens of players will try to be part of the 128-member field for the summer’s big lawn tennis party. There is abundant Wimbledon coverage at Last Word on Sports. Here are LWOS’ best bets for three matches. Post your best bets and thoughts in the comments.
WTA Wimbledon
Sun – Klimovicova: 6:00 EST
H2H: 0-0
Lulu Sun faces Linda Klimovicova. Neither player has done a lot this grass season. Sun is 1-3 this grass season, Klimovicova 0-2. Sun is 1-4 overall in her last five matches, while Klimovicova is 0-5 in her last five outings. Sun is ranked World No. 109, Klimovicova No. 167. These are two players who are struggling and are ranked outside the top 100 for a reason. If you are wondering how these players handle major-tournament pressure, Sun made the second round of Roland-Garros qualifying, having won her first-round qualifying match in Paris one month ago. Klimovicova lost her first-round Roland-Garros qualifying match.
Best Bet to Make
Neither player is performing well right now, so when that happens, over 2.5 sets is a tempting bet to make. However, Sun is a better player and has better overall career achievements than Klimovicova does. Second, Klimovicova has been bad in her last five matches. When there is a clear favorite in a match, which Sun is, and the underdog is playing horribly, it’s really hard to find a way to bet for the underdog and against the favorite. The Sun moneyline price is not that great, so you need to go to a game or set spread. Sun in straight sets is the easiest and most obvious play to make, given how poorly Klimovicova has played in recent weeks.
That being said, betting on Sun winning 2:0 is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Sun winning 2:0 @2.05 @10Bet
Grant – Preston: Time 6:00 EST
H2H: 0-0
Tyra Caterina Grant faces Taylah Preston. This is a match between a player who doesn’t like grass but knows how to win against a player who likes grass but is not a consistent winner. Grant is No. 173 in the rankings, Preston No. 119. Neither player would be called elite. Grant loves playing on clay. She really loaded up her clay schedule this year, playing 26 matches on the surface and winning 20 of them, mostly in challenger-level events. Preston barely played on clay, taking part in only three clay matches all season. Preston represents Australia, a tennis nation with a great history of developing strong grass players. It is no surprise that she has loaded up her schedule with grass matches, playing eight over the past few weeks and winning four of them. That’s not great, but it’s not terrible either. Preston has a certain comfort level on grass and is obviously far more familiar with the surface than Grant. However, Grant won a ton of matches on clay and is 8-2 in her last 10. She is a good competitor. It’s a really interesting battle.
Best Bet to Make
The fact that Grant played so much tennis on clay and has chosen not to play any grass events over the past two weeks indicates a clear unwillingness to challenge herself on this surface. That’s not necessarily a bad decision. Players who know they are really good on one surface and not that good on another surface should play on their stronger surface if they are not in the top 80 to top 100. They should play where they know they can win matches, add ranking points, and put themselves in a position to qualify for the important tournaments of the year. However, in terms of sizing up this match and making a bet on it, it’s very hard to trust Grant since Preston has so much more grass experience. Preston moneyline is reasonably priced. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.
That being said, betting on Preston winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Preston winning @1.71 @Unibet
Naef – Garland: Time 6:00 EST
H2H: 1-1
Celine Naef faces Joanna Garland. Naef and Garland have very different grass records in 2026. Naef has gone 8-3 in 11 matches played, while Garland is just 1-2. That’s a big difference. What about the two players overall? Naef is ranked World No. 193, Garland No. 188. In terms of total matches played this year, not just on grass, Naef has played 40 matches, Garland 17. Naef is 29-11 in her 40 matches, Garland 8-9 in her 17 matches. It will be interesting to see if Naef, having played so much grass tennis, now runs out of steam in the high-pressure environment of Wimbledon qualifying, or if she continues her momentum on the surface. Garland hasn’t played a lot on grass, which means she lacks rhythm but could also be the physically fresher player, which will benefit her if this match goes to a third set.
Best Bet to Make
The fact that Naef has played more matches, won more matches, and won more on grass specifically makes it logical to trust Naef to win. When the stats seem to favor one player, including and especially on one surface, the important thing to consider is whether the other player is either a big name or has a prior track record of being good on a specific surface. Joanna Garland is not a big name, and she doesn’t have an amazing track record on grass in previous years. Therefore, there is no real reason to make a pro-Garland bet. This should be a pro-Naef bet in some way. We go with the set spread. Naef in straight sets offers a very reasonable price.
That being said, betting on Naef winning 2:0 is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Naef winning 2:0 @1.91 @1xBet
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
