It promises to be an entertaining first day at the Championships, with 32 intriguing matches on the slate at Wimbledon. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Danielle Collins vs Julie Grabher, Victoria Azarenka vs Yuan Yue, Sloane Stephens vs Rebecca Peterson, Jessica Pegula vs Lauren Davis, Coco Gauff vs Sofia Kenin, Venus Williams vs Elina Svitolina and Caroline Garcia vs Katie Volynets. But who will reach the second round?
Wimbledon Day 1 Predictions
Iga Swiatek vs Zhu Lin
Jim: Iga Swiatek’s record on grass doesn’t stack up particularly well compared with her record on hard courts and the clay, but she played reasonably well in Bad Homburg and her record at Wimbledon isn’t exactly dreadful. She should have too much for Zhu Lin.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Jordan: Grass is the only surface the world #1 has not really thrived on. She also had to pull out of her semifinal at the Bad Homburg Open due to illness. However Zhu only has one win at Wimbledon in four attempts. The four time grand slam champion should come through relatively easily.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Andreas: Certainly not the easiest first round match for Swiatek, given Zhu made the semifinals of the WTA 250 Birmingham earlier this month. Zhu also made headway at the Australian Open, taking out sixth seed Sakkari. The Pole could struggle early on in the first set, but she should prevail in a tight two-setter.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
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Lesia Tsurenko vs Claire Liu
Jim: Lesia Tsurenko had a very good French Open, but she picked up an injury in Paris and has struggled to recover her fitness on the grass. Claire Liu has a solid enough record at Wimbledon for a young player, having three times reached the third round, and she will surely view this as another good opportunity to win a match in SW19.
Prediction: Liu in 3
Jordan: This looks like a tight matchup. The experienced Tsurenko has slightly more grass court pedigree with two 3rd round Wimbledon appearances. 23 year old Lin has made the second round in all three Wimbledon appearances. The younger player to have slightly more spark to come through in a tight match.
Prediction: Lin in 3
Andreas: As has been the case throughout her whole career, Tsurenko is far too injury prone. Such has hindered her ability to play good tennis recently, as she had to retire in Paris against Swiatek and pull out of a couple grass court tournaments. Liu hasn’t been in great form lately, but this could be a good shot for the American to make a solid comeback at WTA pro level.
Prediction: Liu in 3
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Kaia Kanepi vs Veronika Kudermetova
Jim: Kaia Kanepi has pulled off plenty of upsets over the years, but her preparation has hardly been ideal. She’s been playing ITF-level events on the clay in the past few weeks and this will be her first match on the grass this season. Against a player of Veronika Kudermetova’s quality, it would be asking a lot for the Estonian to pull off a win.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 2
Jordan: Kudermetova reached the final in s’-Hertogenbosch a few weeks ago and is looking more comfortable on the grass. Kanepi is a two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist. However she is having a difficult year. The 12th seed should have just enough to reach the next round.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 3
Andreas: Kudermetova’s achilles heel has always been her mental toughness, with that exact flaw causing her to lose a final in Hertogenbosch in a third set tiebreak. She’ll have to be mentally tough today, especially against Grand Slam giant killer Kanepi. After a fantastic 2022, Kanepi hasn’t won a match at Slam level this year, so it should be difficult for her to live up to the “draw ruiner” name this time around.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 2
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Marie Bouzkova vs Simona Waltert
Jim: Consistency continues to elude Maria Bouzkova, but she typically plays well on the big stage and the grass suits her game well enough. Don’t expect Simona Walter to cause her too many problems on what is the Swiss’ Wimbledon debut.
Prediction: Bouzkova in 2
Jordan: 2022 Wimbledon quarterfinalist has yet to find her grass court form in the run up to SW19. But world number 128 Waltert is making her first main draw appearance at Wimbledon. This should be a match for Bouzkova to play herself into form.
Prediction: Bouzkova in 2
Andreas: Bouzkova made the quarterfinals of last year’s Wimbledon and her game adapts well to the surface. She has a nice drawm but being the heavy favorite in this one may add a bit of pressure. Waltert hasn’t caused any major upsets or breakthroughs on the WTA tour yet, so Bouzkova should be a lock to win this easily.
Prediction: Bouzkova in 2
Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
