{"id":107883,"date":"2026-07-02T15:59:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T19:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=107883"},"modified":"2026-07-02T17:13:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T21:13:11","slug":"wimbledon-day-5-predictions-sabalenka-ostapenko","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2026\/07\/02\/wimbledon-day-5-predictions-sabalenka-ostapenko\/","title":{"rendered":"Wimbledon Day 5 Predictions Including Aryna Sabalenka vs Jelena Ostapenko"},"content":{"rendered":"

Day 5 at Wimbledon will see eight women’s third-round matches on Friday. As always, our team here at LastWordOnTennis will share our thoughts on all of the matches. We split the eight matches between two articles, with the other article featuring Coco Gauff vs Claire Liu<\/a>. Predicting these matches are Amanda Bergman, Andreas Pelekis, and Tope Oke. Who do you think will advance?<\/p>\n

Wimbledon Day 5 Predictions<\/h2>\n

Barbora Krejcikova vs Nikola Bartunkova<\/h4>\n

Amanda:<\/em>
\nThe biggest revelation of grass season has been Nikola Bartunkova, but an in-form Barbora Krejcikova is far from an easy out at Wimbledon. Krejcikova is coming off a monumental upset over Mirra Andreeva, and Bartunkova doesn\u2019t have the experience to pull off this sort of win even if she\u2019s a contender in the match.
\nPrediction: Krejcikova in 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Andreas:<\/em>
\nBartunkova had Sabalenka on the ropes during a Wimbledon tune-up, and she’s carried that form into this Grand Slam. She’s a powerful ball-striker, but unafraid of the net. Krejcikova, who relies on variety and mixing up the points, may find that to be a challenge. Still, she’s coming off a huge win over Mirra Andreeva, and as the 2024 Wimbledon champion, her experience could prove to be the difference.
\nPrediction: Krejcikova in 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Tope:<\/em>
\nBarbora Krejcikova proved once again why she’s a big-match player, grinding past French Open champion Mirra Andreeva<\/a> to reach the next round. Now she faces a first-ever all-Czech clash against rising star Nikola Bartunkova. The youngster has nothing to lose and will swing freely, but a fit Krejcikova’s grass-court pedigree should see her through.
\nPrediction: Krejcikova in 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Jessica Pegula vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro<\/h4>\n

Amanda:<\/em>
\nJessica Pegula has been playing very well and hasn\u2019t dropped a set yet at Wimbledon<\/a>, but Jessica Bouzas Maneiro is on a good run and could pose a challenge. Pegula won their only match in straight sets, but if Bouzas Maneiro keeps up her level from the last two rounds she can match Pegula\u2019s consistency and keep the match close. Still, Pegula is in excellent form and should come through.
\nPrediction: Pegula in 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Andreas:<\/em>
\nBouzas Maneiro reached the fourth round of Wimbledon last year, and she’s starting to play better after losses pilled up earlier in the season. Pegula, however, is great at constructing points on the grass, and has the consistency to go far in this tournament. If Pegula gets her first serves in, I can see her cruising into the second week.
\nPrediction: Pegula in 2<\/em><\/p>\n

Tope:<\/em>
\nJessica Pegula’s Wimbledon run rolls into Round 3 against yet another Spaniard, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, after cruising past Sara Sorribes Tormo. Bouzas Maneiro has already banked a scalp in this draw, knocking out 27th seed Anastasia Potapova, but the World #52 faces a step up in class against the fourth seed. Pegula beat her at the US Open two years ago and her grass-court pedigree should see her book that Round of 16 spot again.
\nPrediction: Pegula in 2<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Belinda Bencic vs Anna Kalinskaya<\/h4>\n

Amanda:<\/em>
\nBelinda Bencic dominates the head-to-head against Anna Kalinskaya 4-1, with Kalinskaya\u2019s only win coming on clay. Bencic knows how to win in this matchup, especially on a faster surface, and Kalinskaya barely came through her second-round match, showing vulnerability against an opponent who can disrupt her rhythm, like Bencic can also do.
\nPrediction: Bencic in 2<\/em><\/p>\n

Andreas:<\/em>
\nBencic is defending semifinalist points from last year’s Wimbledon, and so far, she’s played at that caliber. Kalinskaya won a high-quality match against Diane Parry in the second round, and won the pair’s most recent meeting. Both players have strong flat forehands, as the key may be the serve. The Swiss is a bit more aggressive off the first serve, and she’s looked stronger at this tournament so far.
\nPrediction: Bencic in 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Tope:<\/em>
\nBelinda Bencic’s Wimbledon<\/a> momentum meets a familiar foe in Anna Kalinskaya, and history is firmly on the Swiss star’s side, she owns a commanding 4-1 head-to-head edge, including a perfect 2-0 mark on grass. Kalinskaya’s Rome win earlier this year proves she can trouble Bencic, but clay magic rarely translates to SW19’s lawns. Expect the 11th seed to lean on her grass-court pedigree and last year’s semifinal run to push past the Russian and keep her deep-run dreams alive.
\nPrediction: Bencic in 2<\/em><\/p>\n

Aryna Sabalenka vs Jelena Ostapenko<\/h4>\n

Amanda:<\/em>
\nJelena Ostapenko has been playing well on grass, but defeating Aryna Sabalenka is a tall order. Sabalenka rarely stumbles in early rounds of Grand Slams, and she has the game to counter Ostapenko\u2019s power. Ostapenko does have a win against Sabalenka, but it was on clay and Sabalenka is the heavy favorite here.
\nPrediction: Sabalenka in 2<\/em><\/p>\n

Andreas:<\/em>
\nBring your popcorn for this one. Ostapenko has been vulnerable to surprising losses at any Grand Slam, but she’s perhaps at her steadiest at Wimbledon, reaching the second week four times. Sabalenka’s serve has been formidable, but her inconsistent returning and patches of unforced errors could make this match a toss-up. Ostapenko will have to serve well, and hit deep shots. Either way, expect plenty of winners and power.
\nPrediction: Sabalenka in 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Tope:<\/em>
\nAryna Sabalenka looked every bit the World #1 in dispatching McCsrtneyKessler, cruising through the opener before gutting out a tense tiebreak to seal it. Up next: a firecracker fourth-round clash with Jelena Ostapenko, who had her number in Stuttgart but has never tested Sabalenka on grass. Expect the Belarusian’s firepower to hold up when the pressure peaks.
\nPrediction: Sabalenka in 3<\/em><\/p>\n

Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Day 5 at Wimbledon will see eight women’s third-round matches on Friday. As always, our team here at LastWordOnTennis will share our thoughts on all of the matches. We split the eight matches between two articles, with the other article featuring Coco Gauff vs Claire Liu. Predicting these matches are Amanda Bergman, Andreas Pelekis, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1601,"featured_media":86591,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[7645,15724,1766,15523,3976,15545,266,15465,473,15564,18955,18956,3535,15652,17546,17547,2373,2369,3267],"class_list":["post-107883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-predictions","tag-anna-kalinskaya","tag-anna-kalinskaya-predictions","tag-aryna-sabalenka","tag-aryna-sabalenka-predictions","tag-barbora-krejcikova","tag-barbora-krejcikova-predictions","tag-belinda-bencic","tag-belinda-bencic-predictions","tag-jelena-ostapenko","tag-jelena-ostapenko-predictions","tag-jessica-bouzas-maneiro","tag-jessica-bouzas-maneiro-predictions","tag-jessica-pegula","tag-jessica-pegula-predictions","tag-nikola-bartunkova","tag-nikola-bartunkova-predictions","tag-tennis-picks","tag-tennis-predictions","tag-wimbledon-predictions"],"modified_by":"Yesh Ginsburg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1601"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107883"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107908,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107883\/revisions\/107908"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}