It should be an entertaining first day at Wimbledon with a number of star names set to take to the hallowed lawns at the All England Club. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Elise Mertens vs Camila Osorio, Emma Raducanu vs Alison van Uytvanck, Maria Sakkari vs Zoe Hives, Ons Jabeur vs Mirjam Bjorklund, Katie Swan vs Marta Kostyuk, Danielle Collins vs Marie Bouzkova, and Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Kaja Juvan. But who will advance?
Wimbledon Day 1 Predictions
Anett Kontaveit vs Bernarda Pera
Yesh: Anett Kontaveit is no longer in the blistering form that she ended 2021 with, but Bernarda Pera is nowhere near the top of the game. I’d be shocked by an upset here.
Prediction: Kontaveit in 2
Glenys: Both come into Wimbledon with a distinct lack of form. Recent tournaments have been early exits for both Kontaveit and Pera. Although seeded Kontaveit will struggle in the early stages, whilst Pera has nothing to loose. The American will give Kontaveit a real match, but the Estonian should prevail.
Prediction: Kontaveit in 3
Jakub: Despite being the world #2 right now, Kontaveit has not reached past the third round of a Slam in the past two seasons. The Estonian won St. Petersburg and lost the final of Doha but has struggled since, going 3-5 since February. Neither player participated in any lead-up events on grass, but Pera is historically a weaker grass-court player, never going past the first round at Wimbledon. Kontaveit has the 2017 Den Bosch title and a last year’s final at Eastbourne under her belt, making her a favourite here.
Prediction: Kontaveit in 2
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Tatjana Maria vs Astra Sharma
Yesh: Astra Sharma is an impressive player who just can’t quite find consistency at the top levels. Maybe I believe in her too much after this long, but I really like how her game can translate to the grass.
Prediction: Sharma in 3
Glenys: Tatjana Maria made the quarter final in Gaiba, Italy, taking out the fourth seed on the way. The German will be favourite for this match up. Sharma has not had good singles form coming into the tournament. The Aussie is more of a doubles specialist, but grass does seem to suit Sharma. Having come through qualifying to make the main draw. Sharma’s best result at SW19 was the second round in 2019.
Prediction: Maria in 2
Jakub: Maria, the 2018 Mallorca champion, went 5-4 on grass this season with a couple of decent wins, beating the likes of Anastasia Potapova and Claire Liu. Sharma qualified successfully, with her best win being over Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva in the final round, but she is probably a level below someone like Potapova on grass, making the German veteran a favourite.
Prediction: Maria in 2
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Panna Udvardy vs Tamara Zidansek
Yesh: Tamara Zidansek had a huge run of form last year and is searching for that again. She’ll get a decent draw in the opening round of Wimbledon to try and find it.
Prediction: Zidansek in 2
Glenys: Panna Udvardy and Zidansek have played once before, back in 2017 which Zidansek won in straight sets. The Slovenian took the doubles title in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, however her singles track record has not been the same. A straight set defeat to Halep in the second round in Bad Homberg the last time out was as good as it got. Panna Udvardy made the quarter final in Austria as the top seed, but lost in the second round in Czech Republic. Udvardy suffered a first round loss in Eastbourne. Both come into Wimbledon out of form, but Zidansek has the greater quality.
Prediction: Zidansek in 3
Jakub: Not only is Udvardy having a poor season, going 11-19 and struggling to go deep at tournaments even now that she’s dropped back down to ITFs, the Hungarian has only ever played two grass events. Last week in Eastbourne, she only won three games against Sara Sorribes Tormo. Zidansek is no grass expert but despite struggling a bit this season has found a way to get some wins on grass. Udvardy’s level on the surface is not much higher than Harmony Tan or Yuliya Hatouka, who Zidansek beat. It will be an ugly match, the Slovenian should come out on top.
Prediction: Zidansek in 3
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Magda Linette vs Fernanda Contreras Gomez
Yesh: Linette has a big game and is okay on the grass. Contreras Gomez played her way into grass form by qualifying for Wimbledon, though, which could be the difference.
Prediction: Contreras Gomez in 3
Glenys: The first meeting, with Linette coming into Wimbledon off the back of the Eastbourne doubles title. Contreras Gomez best grass result coming into the slam, was the doubles final in Ilkley where the Mexican lost in straight sets. This will be a straight forward win for Linette.
Prediction: Linette in 2
Jakub: Linette is a solid grass-courter, reaching the third round in her last two Wimbledon appearances and beating Alison Riske last week in Eastbourne. Contreras Gomez, a Vanderbilt University alum, has now surprisingly qualified for two Slams in a row. The Mexican #1 had not played on grass before this season and had just one win on the surface before qualifying, where she enjoyed a nice draw into the final qualifying round before upsetting Timea Babos. Contreras Gomez might be a quietly tricky opponent, but I trust Linette to advance.
Prediction: Linette in 2
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