Several of the world’s best are set to take to the grass courts in SW19 on what should be an entertaining first day at Wimbledon. 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, Anett Kontaveit vs Bernarda Pera, 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 reach the round of 64?
Wimbledon Day 1 Predictions
Maria Sakkari vs Zoe Hives
Jim: This will be a great experience for Zoe Hives. The Australian put together a good run through the qualifying and her reward will be a shot at a top-ten opponent on a show court. But a great experience does not equate to a good draw. Maria Sakkari is generally a solid performer and should have too much by half for Hives.
Prediction: Sakkari in 2
Yesh: Sakkari is in strong form as always. She has struggles in late rounds at big events, but shouldn’t have any trouble at all here.
Prediction: Sakkari in 2
Jakub: For someone who has never reached the second week at Wimbledon, Sakkari had a decent grass season. The Greek went 5-3 with losses to Beatriz Haddad Maia, Belinda Bencic and Anhelina Kalinina, reaching the Berlin semifinals in the process. Hives is an inspiring story out of qualifying. The former #140 was on hiatus since November 2019 due to a chronic fatigue condition. Hives played a couple of ITFs earlier this year without much success, which is why it was a shock when she qualified with just nine games dropped, though her final qualifying match was a walkover. It will be great to see Hives out there, but Sakkari should not be losing to her.
Prediction: Sakkari in 2
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Caroline Garcia vs Yuriko Miyazaki
Jim: Yuriko Miyazaki has generally impressed in recent weeks on the grass, but she hasn’t pulled off the sort of result that suggests she can win this match. Caroline Garcia may not be a byword for consistency, but if she plays anything like her best tennis, expect her to beat Miyazaki.
Prediction: Garcia in 2
Yesh: Brits have generally excelled on grass this year, but so has Garcia. The Frenchwoman is also both more talented and experienced, so this is an easy call.
Prediction: Garcia in 2
Jakub: Garcia won her first title since Nottingham 2019 in Bad Homburg with wins over Sabine Lisicki, Alize Cornet, and Bianca Andreescu. Miyazaki, who made the switch to represent Great Britain in March, is set to make her Slam main draw debut after receiving a wild card. The 26-year-old has gone 5-4, grabbing a couple of decent wins on grass this year over Daria Saville or Astra Sharma though Sonay Kartal contributed two of the losses. The Frenchwoman had not advanced past the first round at Wimbledon since her second-week foray in 2017. Garcia should win
Prediction: Garcia in 2
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Martina Trevisan vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto
Jim: Martina Trevisan recaptured the magic at the French Open, bettering her 2020 effort by reaching the semifinals. Tellingly, however, she won just four games on her return to action on the grass in Bad Homburg. Fortunately for Trevisan, Elisabetta Cocciaretto is coming into this match having been out of action for two months and with no grass-court experience to speak.
Prediction: Trevisan in 3
Yesh: The Italian Cocciaretto hasn’t competed in almost two months, and she hasn’t played a single professional match on grass. Ever. That does not bode well for her here.
Prediction: Trevisan in 2
Jakub: An all-Italian clash in the first round. Trevisan made the semifinals of Roland Garros, catapulting her into the top 30, though the 28-year-old will not be coming near that sort of result at Wimbledon. Trevisan is 1-7 on grass in her career. Cocciaretto is having a strong season on the ITF Tour, winning an ITF 80 in Oeiras and ITF 60 in Grado and reached the final at the WTA 125 in Makarska. The 21-year-old has never played a match on grass before though, making Trevisan the favourite here.
Prediction: Trevisan in 2
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Jule Niemeier vs Wang Xiyu
Jim: Wang Xiyu should be full of confidence after her run to the final in Valencia, but that tournament was played on the clay. If the difference between the two surfaces is not as pronounced as it used to be, it is still not ideal preparation. Jule Niemeier’s time in Berlin and Bad Homburg should prove more profitable.
Prediction: Niemeier in 2
Yesh: Wang hasn’t played a match on grass this year, and Niemeier is in solid enough form. That’s enough to have a favourite here, though not a heavy one.
Prediction: Niemeier in 2
Jakub: Niemeier, who won the WTA 125 in Makarska against Cocciaretto, has not had the grass season quite go her way, going 1-2. The German has put out some very good performances though, taking sets off Belinda Bencic and Daria Kasatkina. Wang, who was one of Niemeier’s opponents in Makarska, opted to not play any grass events this season. The 21-year-old played on the surface in some previous seasons though with a decent 7-6 record. Niemeier is the favourite for me, but it will not be an easy one.
Prediction: Niemeier in 3
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