With 32 first-round matches on the slate on the first day at Wimbledon, there should be plenty of exciting tennis for the fans. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Elise Mertens vs Camila Osorio, Anett Kontaveit vs Bernarda Pera, 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
Emma Raducanu vs Alison Van Uytvanck
Jim: Emma Raducanu has clearly struggled with the weight of expectation that comes with being a Grand Slam champion and that is only going to be amplified playing in Britain. Alison Van Uytvanck, meanwhile, clearly enjoys the big stage and claimed some memorable scalps before at Wimbledon.
Prediction: Van Uytvanck in 3
Yesh: Raducanu brings her best for Majors, but she really hasn’t found her US Open form consistently at all this year. Can she do it at home at Wimbledon? I’ll say yes, but I’m not confident about it.
Prediction: Raducanu in 2
Jakub: The US Open remains Raducanu’s only main tour title as she has struggled to back up that result. It is tough to see her enjoying a deep run here, particularly she suffered a rib injury in Nottingham a couple of weeks ago and has been handed a tough draw in Van Uytvanck. The Belgian is 12-2 on grass this season, winning the ITF 100 in Surbiton and WTA 125 in Gaiba. Her two losses came in the third-set tiebreaks against Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova. Raducanu will give it her all, but Van Uytvanck is the favourite.
Prediction: Van Uytvanck in 3
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Anhelina Kalinina vs Anna Bondar
Jim: Anhelina Kalinina has won four of her seven matches on the grass this year and should come into Wimbledon with some confidence after reaching the quarters in Eastbourne. Anna Bondar has only played one grass-court match this season and she lost it.
Prediction: Kalinina in 2
Yesh: Kalinina has been in impressive form on the grass this year. That’s enough for me to give her the edge in this matchup.
Prediction: Kalinina in 2
Jakub: Kalinina has shown a surprising level on grass in Eastbourne, pulling off impressive wins over Maria Sakkari and Yulia Putintseva. Bondar has three career matches on the surface with no wins, not coming into her first Wimbledon main draw as a threat. With what Kalinina showed last week, she should cruise through this match.
Prediction: Kalinina in 2
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Heather Watson vs Tamara Korpatsch
Jim: Heather Watson is usually good value on the grass. Whether its suited to her natural game or she just has that much more experience on the surface thanks to her upbringing, this is the sort of match she rarely loses. Expect her to have too much for Tamara Korpatsch.
Prediction: Watson in 2
Yesh: British fans still wonder when they’ll see Watson put it all together. She likes playing at home and likes the grass, but her form is impossible to trust. This should be a very tight one.
Prediction: Watson in 3
Jakub: Neither player is coming into Wimbledon in good form. It will be a very different occasion for them though, Korpatsch making her Wimbledon main draw debut after three failed qualifying attempts while Watson makes her 12th appearance at the All England Club, playing every year since 2010. The match-up is not particularly exciting but I expect Watson to pull through with the crowd behind her in these familiar surroundings.
Prediction: Watson in 2
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Angelique Kerber vs Kristina Mladenovic
Jim: It’s tough to know what to expect from Angelique Kerber these days. But you could the same thing of Mladenovic and she never reached the heights that the German did. This match could probably go either way, but Kerber is the player with a Wimbledon title to her name.
Prediction: Kerber in 2
Yesh: Kerber is not quite the player she once was, but neither is Mladenovic. The German still loves the grass and the big stage, so we should expect a solid run from here at Wimbledon.
Prediction: Kerber in 2
Jakub: Kerber has been an elite grass player over the past decade, earning an 85-31 record on the surface over her career and a 78% winning percentage since 2012. That being said, Kerber is beginning to slow down at 34, she played just one warm-up, losing to Alize Cornet in the quarterfinals of Bad Homburg. Though the German may not be among the contenders, she certainly should be beating Mladenovic. Outside of an ITF 60 title in Caserta, the Frenchwoman is 2-13 this season. Mladenovic may have won their last meeting at the 2019 US Open but pulling off the upset here would be a small miracle.
Prediction: Kerber in 2
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