Day 2 of Wimbledon brings a full half of the women’s first round–32 matches in all. And as always, we here at LastWordOnTennis predict every single one for you. We split Tuesday’s matches between eight articles. In addition to this one, our other articles feature Jessica Pegula vs Ashlyn Kreuger, Jelena Ostapenko vs Ajla Tomljanovic, Danielle Collins vs Clara Tauson, Barbora Krejcikova vs Veronika Kudermetova, Elena Rybakina vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Caroline Wozniacki vs Alycia Parks, and Ons Jabeur vs Moyuka Uchijima. Predicting these matches are Damian Kust, Jordan Reynolds, and Manuel Traquete. Who do you think will win?
Wimbledon Day 2 Predictions
Petra Martic vs Francesca Jones
Damian:
Martic is probably past her prime by now, but she still possesses a lot more all-court options than most other players on the WTA Tour. Her serve, slices, and ability to close down the net might be a bit too much for someone more basic like Jones.
Prediction: Martic in 2
Jordan:
Martic has a very solid record at Wimbledon, although the 33-year-old is past her very best. Jones is very talented and will certainly get huge crowd support at her home Grand Slam. But Martic is adept at staying calm in tight moments, and I think her experience will take her through to the next round.
Prediction: Martic in 3
Manuel:
Martic hasn’t been having a great time during this grass season, but she got a pretty fortunate draw here. She is the far better player overall here and should be able to make it through.
Prediction: Martic in 2
Yulia Putintseva vs Angelique Kerber
Damian:
Pretty brutal draw for both as they’re in decent shape and could have been eyeing a deep-ish run at Wimbledon. Now only one of them will make it to the second round and the favorite seems to be the gritty Putintseva, who’s much closer to her prime than Kerber is to hers.
Prediction: Putintseva in 3
Jordan:
A few weeks ago, Putintseva may have seemed like a good draw for the former champion Kerber. However, the Kazakhstani’s run to the title in Birmingham showed she is far more comfortable on grass than previously. Her athleticism and variety is also not a great matchup for Kerber at this stage of the German veteran’s career.
Prediction: Putintseva in 2
Manuel:
Kerber is a former champion at this tournament, but those days seem to be long gone, as shown by the fact that she hasn’t won a single match on grass so far this year. Right now, Putintseva is clearly the better player and should be able to pull through.
Prediction: Putintseva in 3
Katerina Siniakova vs Marina Stakusic
Damian:
Stakusic has been a trending name since the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, but her individual achievements aren’t matching what she did in that team scenario so far. It was a nice run for her from qualifying, but Siniakova won a grass title as recently as last year and might be a bit too good on this surface.
Prediction: Siniakova in 2
Jordan:
Hopefully, Siniakova is physically ready for this match after withdrawing from her quarterfinal match in Bad Homburg a few days ago. If she is, the Czech should have enough to overcome Stakusic. In fact, Wimbledon presents her best chance at going deep at a Grand Slam.
Prediction: Siniakova in 2
Manuel:
Stakusic had a very nice run in qualifying, but the level will significantly rise here. Siniakova has been having a solid grass season so far, with quarterfinals in back to back events, and she should advance here.
Prediction: Siniakova in 2
Iga Swiatek vs Sofia Kenin
Damian:
Sure, Kenin tends to disappear after one good performance and then kinda randomly pop up every now and then. But we know she also steps up for the big matches and she almost took the opening set off Świątek at the Australian Open. She needs to throw everything she has at the Pole and she might be able to catch her off-guard. It would require amazing execution from her though.
Prediction: Swiatek in 3
Jordan:
This should be one of the best women’s first round matches. Swiatek, who is looking to take the next step on grass, faces an opponent who knocked out Coco Gauff in the opening round last year. However, Kenin has had a very difficult year so far. It is hard to trust her to be consistent enough to cause an upset against the world No. 1.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Manuel:
Kenin is a former Grand Slam winner so she’s far from an ideal first round draw for Swiatek, but even on grass the world #1 should be able to pull through at this stage in their respective careers. She comes into Wimbledon on a 19-match winning streak and will be looking to finally contend for the title here.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
