Day 1 of Wimbledon is one of the most hectic days on the tennis calendar. Half of the first round–32 men’s matches and 32 women’s matches–will be completed on Monday. As always, we’re here at LWOT to share our thoughts on all of them for you. The women’s matches are split between eight sets of predictions. In addition to this article, we have articles featuring Petra Kvitova vs Sloane Stephens, Garbine Muguruza vs Fiona Ferro, Karolina Pliskova vs Tamara Zidansek, Iga Swiatek vs Su-Wei Hsieh, Madison Keys vs Katie Swan, Venus Williams vs Mihaela Buzarnescu, and Sofia Kenin vs Xinyu Wang. Predicting this set of matches are Andrew Watson, Jim Smith, and Damian Kust.
Wimbledon Women’s Day 1 Predictions
Marie Bouzkova vs Vera Zvonareva
Andrew:
These are the matches that Zvonareva is continuing to play for. She has a historically good record on grass whereas Bouzkova has amazingly lost seven in a row at Grand Slam level. Back the Russian to take this one.
Prediction: Zvonareva in 3
Jim:
Vera Zvonareva may not be the force that she once was, but the Russian can still play some good tennis and looked sharp in reaching the main draw as a qualifier in Eastbourne, only for injury to force her out of her first-round match. But, although she is not having the best of seasons, it is hard to see Marie Bouzkova losing out to the veteran.
Prediction: Bouzkova in 3
Damian:
The former World No. 2 is enjoying a bit of a revival recently, although it might just be cut short by an injury that forced her to retire at Eastbourne. She’s the favorite if she recovers, but at 36 years old that’s a pretty big if.
Prediction: Bouzkova in 3
Maria Sakkari vs Arantxa Rus
Andrew:
Undoubtedly the Greek will have been disappointed not to convert a great chance to become a Grand Slam champion last time out in Paris, but she is proving herself at the very top level now. I expect her to be a good bit better than Rus here.
Prediction: Sakkari in 2
Jim:
Maria Sakkari may well have ended her French Open campaign disappointed by missing out on what looked like a golden chance to reach a Grand Slam final. But she has the opportunity to bounce back at Wimbledon and has been handed what looks like a kind first-round draw. Expect the Greek to reach the second round without encountering too many problems.
Prediction: Sakkari in 2
Damian:
Sakkari decided to take a longer rest after the French Open but it probably shouldn’t derail her that much. Her powerful game should work very well on this surface, while Rus has done next to nothing on it historically.
Prediction: Sakkari in 2
Danielle Lao vs Katie Boulter
Andrew:
Lao has done brilliantly to qualify for Wimbledon but I think that Boulter is rounding into some good form and will want to perform well for the home crowds. She is one that does respond positively to the home support and this will spur her on to victory here.
Prediction: Boulter in 2
Jim:
Katie Boulter has struggled to stay fit this season. But when the Briton has played, she has impressed, reaching the semifinals at an ITF event in April and the quarterfinals in Nottingham two weeks, with injury forcing her to retire from both matches. But if she has now recovered, she should have just about enough to get past the qualifier Danielle Lao, despite the American’s impressive showing in the qualifying.
Prediction: Boulter in 3
Damian:
Lao came out of a huge slump to find a way to qualify. This is probably the end of the road though as Boulter looked great at Nottingham as a Brit, has more grass-court experience than her peers.
Prediction: Boulter in 2
Jessica Pegula vs Caroline Garcia
Andrew:
The American has become a real fixture around the big tournaments this season, but she has very little grass experience. She has played less than half of the matches that Garcia has played and most of those have been qualifying for tournaments. She is a different animal in 2021 though and I think she will take a really positive attitude into this clash and outplay a Caroline Garcia who, though still incredibly talented, is slipping down the rankings at an alarming rate now.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
Jim:
This may not be one of the headline clashes of Day 1 at Wimbledon, but it should be an entertaining clash. Jessica Pegula’s form has slightly cooled after her exceptional start to the season, but the American has still been playing some good tennis. Caroline Garcia, meanwhile, remains inconsistent but almost unplayable on her day. The more consistent Pegula seems like the safer bet however.
Prediction: Pegula in 3
Damian:
Pegula is having a brilliant season and she might just extend that to grass, just as she extended her dominance over Pliskova. From Garcia’s perspective, the 3-6 0-6 loss to Bouzkova in Birmingham wasn’t exactly promising.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
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