It’s the best day of the tennis season. Manic Monday at Wimbledon has all 16 Round of 16 matches (eight Men’s and eight Women’s). The crew here at Last Word On Tennis is here to predict every single one of them four you. It can be a little much to read (and write) predictions for all eight women’s matches at once, so we split this up into two articles. This article contains all four matches in the top half of the draw. Predicting the matches are writers Lukas Weese, Brett Margolies, Vithun Illankovan, and Manuel Traquete, along with editor Yesh Ginsburg.
(Top Half)
Wimbledon Women’s Predictions Manic Monday
Su-Wei Hsieh vs Dominika Cibulkova
Lukas:
Cibulkova is back in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon facing off against Su-Wei Hsieh for a spot in the quarterfinals. Hsieh just pulled off the greatest match of her life, defeating #1 seed Simona Halep in three sets. Cibulkova won in straight sets over Mertens, converting 81% of her first serve points. Hsieh has to play cleaner tennis if she’s going to win this match, 36 unforced errors is too much. Cibulkova has beaten her twice before, I like her to win again and advance to the quarterfinals.
Prediction: Cibulkova in 2
Manuel:
Cibulkova has won the two previous meetings between the two with relatively ease and more of the same is expected here.
Prediction: Cibulkova in 2
Vithun:
Hsieh just came off a huge win over World No.1 Simona Halep in the previous round so is likely to have a let-down now. Cibulkova is playing very well as she has more fire inside because of her bitterness about being knocked off the seedings for Serena Williams. It is quite ironic because Cibulkova would have probably lost in the 1st Round had she been seeded but being unseeded has made her determined to prove a point. Making the 4th Round is has proven this point but Cibulkova is one of the biggest fighters on tour and won’t settle for this.
Prediction: Cibulkova in 2
Brett:
Can Hsieh follow up her comeback win over #1 Simona Halep? Her unique style of play works perfectly on the grass, but Cibulkova is playing well right now. Hsieh will keep it close, but Cibulkova wins.
Prediction: Cibulkova in 3
Yesh:
Cibulkova has been a revelation this tournament. She is finally back at the level that so many have expected from her for so long. Hsieh is great on grass, but Cibulkova is on a mission here.
Prediction: Cibulkova in 3
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Jelena Ostapenko vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Lukas:
Jelena Ostapenko is the 12th seed looking for her first quarterfinal appearance as she is taking on Aliksandra Sasnovich of Belerus. Ostapenko has won 10 of her last 12 sets played after losing in the first round of the French Open. Sasnovich is also coming off a straight set victory where she won 62% of her total service points. Ostapenko is playing with her usual aggressiveness that saw her win the French Open two years ago. I like her to advance to the quarterfinals in a close match.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
Manuel:
Ostapenko hasn’t had much success at Slams ever since breaking through at Roland Garros last year, but there have been signs in this first week that the trend might be about to be reversed.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
Vithun:
I don’t rate Ostapenko at all but she has a lot of self-belief and a decent level of mental strength to capitalise on the failure of others. When the draw came out, this was arguably the hardest eighth, but after the likes of Kvitova and Sharapova faltered she has one of the easiest 4th Round draws in Sasnovich. Sasnovich is nothing special despite seeming to think she is and I expect a routine win for Ostapenko, who has not dropped a set this tournament.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
Brett:
Sasnovich hasn’t gone away after her upset win over Petra Kvitova. She’s followed it up with a round of 16 appearance, and a winnable match against an unpredictable player in Ostapenko. I think Sasnovich has just been too consistent for a player like Ostapenko as of late.
Prediction: Sasnovich in 2
Yesh:
Sasnovich has come out of nowhere to reach the Round of 16 here. Ostapenko has been inconsistent at big tournaments since winning the French Open last year, but she has the potential to challenge for the title here.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 3
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Alison Van Uytvanck vs Daria Kasatkina
Lukas:
Daria Kasatkina is looking to punch her ticket into the quarterfinals as she is taking on Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium in the Round of 16. Kasatkina has won 11 of her last 14 sets played, limiting her unforced errors to under 20 the last two matches. Van Uytvanck has been serving very well, last match converting 65% of her first serve return points. This is the first time these ladies are facing each other. While the Belgian has been returning the ball very well, I like Kasatkina’s complete game to win in a tight match.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
Manuel:
Kasatkina is one of the brighest young players in the WTA tour and has a great chance to go very deep this week.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 2
Vithun:
I didn’t expect either of these players to win their matches in the previous round so this is difficult for me to predict. I am going to go with the player whose win would be better for tennis as this tournament cannot afford any more punishment as it has currently been the worst Grand Slam in the Open Era. Therefore, I am hoping the player that I can see as a future Grand Slam champion wins this match.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
Brett:
I didn’t think Kasatkina would get past Barty, but she fought back in the first set to win relatively comfortably. Van Uytvanck is playing confidently on the grass after her upset win over Muguruza; this is a toss-up, but I’d give the advantage to Kasatkina.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
Yesh:
Van Uytvanck is very good on the grass and has been playing some great tennis this tournament. Don’t be surprised if she manages to pull off another upset, this time against rising Daria Kasatkina.
Prediction: Van Uytvanck in 3
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Angelique Kerber vs Belinda Bencic
Lukas:
Former World #1 Angelique Kerber is back in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon taking on the Swiss Belinda Bencic. In her last match against Osaka, Kerber won 73% of her total service points, acquiring 23 winners to just nine unforced errors. Bencic best Saurez Navarro in straight sets, converting 56% of her return points. These two ladies have played four times with Bencic winning all the matches. It should be close but I like Kerber’s complete game to prevail.
Prediction: Kerber in 3
Manuel:
Kerber has shown some signs this year of being able to return to her 2016 level, but hasn’t been able to fully break through. This Wimbledon is another great opportunity, but first she needs to beat an opponent that’s always been tricky for her.
Prediction: Kerber in 3
Vithun:
Kerber would be many people’s favourite to make the final from this top half but I think she will be going home on Monday. Very few players in this era have managed to make three Grand Slam quarterfinals in a row and with all the surprise exits this tournament this shouldn’t be too big of a shock as Bencic is a former top-10 player.
Prediction: Bencic in 3
Brett:
It’s good to see Belinda Bencic back where she belongs after injury issues as of late. She was down and out in her second round match against Alison Riske but found a way to win. Kerber’s win over Osaka kind of felt like a statement win. I think she’s playing too good right now for any upset.
Prediction: Kerber in 2
Yesh:
Angelique Kerber is finally returning to the form that saw her win two Slams and take over World #1 in 2016. She just dominated Naomi Osaka, a rising player in her own right. With her current form, it will be hard to see anyone beating Kerber, especially a player like Bencic, who is only beginning to return to her best form herself.
Prediction: Kerber in 2
Main Photo:
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