Serena Williams retired in 2022 and Venus Williams, although she continues to play, has now put the game on pause. World number one Iga Swiatek is first in the seed list, followed by Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. Defending champion Marketa Vondrousova is back from injury but has arrived at Wimbledon. This year, all the best tennis players are participating in the tournament.
Analysis of the drawing:
First quarter:
Ranked players: (1) Iga Šwiątek, (6) Marketa Vondrousova, (11) Danielle Collins, (13) Jelena Ostapenko, (20) Beatriz Addad Maja, (23) Caroline Garcia, (27) Katerina Siniakova and (31) Barbora Krejcikova
Expected quarter-finals: Iga Swiatek vs. Marketa Vondrousova
Iga Swiatek returns to Wimbledon with a huge winning streak. She arrived in London two years ago having won 35 matches in a row, but lost to Alizé Cornet in the third round. This year, Iga won her fifth TSB at Roland Garros and extended her unbeaten streak to 19 matches.
Swiatek reached the quarter-finals for the first time at Wimbledon last year and will now look to progress further. However, given the fairly complex draw, this could prove difficult. In the first round, she will face Sofia Kenin, who eliminated Coco Gauff in the first round of Wimbledon last year.
A win would pit Iga against the winner of Petra Martic and Francesca Jones in the second round. Former Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber could await her in the third round, while her rival Jelena Ostapenko could be a possible opponent in the fourth round. Although Swiatek is 0-4 in head-to-head meetings with Ostapenko, Jelena is going through a tough time and can be beaten.
The current champion, Vondrousova, is on the other side of the draw and doesn’t have the easiest draw either.
The Czech will start her title defence against Jessica Buzas Maneiro and could face Barbora Krejcikova in the third round, then Danielle Collins or Beatrice Addad Maja in the fourth. If Marketa is fit and can withstand the pressure, then she has a chance to go far. However, given the form of tennis players in this quarter, Swiatek is the big favourite, despite the poor results on grass.
Quarter-final predictions : Iga Swiatek will beat Marketa Vondrousová
Second Quarter:
Ranked players: (4) Elena Rybakina, (5) Jessica Pegula, (10) Ons Jabeur, (15) Lyudmila Samsonova, (17) Anna Kalinskaya, (21) Elina Svitolina, (30) Leila Fernandez and (32) Katie Boulter.
Expected quarter-finals: Elena Rybakina vs. Ons Jabeur
Elena Rybakina has had one of the most consistent performances this year, winning three titles in five finals. She also reached the quarterfinals of Roland Garros. However, lately she has suffered many injuries and illnesses.
Elena got sick during the competition in Berlin a week ago and withdrew from the competition in the quarterfinals with Victoria Azarenka. As for her draw, there are some tough players in her way. She will start the tournament with a match against Elena-Gabriela Ruse and will most likely face Laura Siegemund in the second round.
Rybakina could face Leila Fernandez, Alicia Parks or Caroline Wozniacki in the third round. In the fourth, she can meet Lyudmila Samsonova, to whom she is inferior in personal meetings 1-4. Rybakina will have to show her best side if she wants to reach the quarterfinals.
Two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur and world number five Jessica Pegula are in the other half of the draw. The American recently won her first grass-court title in Berlin, while the Tunisian withdrew from the quarter-finals of the same tournament due to illness.
Both will face a tough test in the third round before they can face each other in the fourth round. Gill may face Elina Svitolina and Pegula faces Katie Boulter. If they manage to win, they will face each other and Jabeur’s record at Wimbledon could give her an advantage over the American.
After that, a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals could take place. Jabeur and Rybakina crossed paths at Wimbledon a year ago, and if the same thing happens again, history will most likely repeat itself.
Prediction for the quarter-finals: Ons Jabeur will beat Elena Rybakina
Third quarter:
Ranked players: (3) Arina Sabalenko, (8) Zheng Qinwen, (9) Maria Sakkari, (14) Daria Kasatkina, (22) Ekaterina Alexandrova, (24) Mirra Andreeva, (25) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and (28) Dayana Yastremskaya
Expected quarter-finals: Arina Sabalenka vs Emma Raducanu.
Six consecutive TBS semi-finals were halted at the French Open last month when Aryna Sabalenka lost in the quarter-finals to Mirra Andreeva. However, during this match, Sabalenka did not play at full strength because she was not feeling well. Arina has been the most consistent player at Grand Slam tournaments for some time now.
Having reached the semi-finals twice at Wimbledon, Sabalenka is hoping to finally get past that stage this time around. A shoulder injury forced her to finish early in Berlin last week, but if she stays fit she should be able to do well at Wimbledon.
Sabalenka will start the tournament against Emina Bektas. In the second round, she could meet Donna Vekic, who leads Arina in head-to-heads with a score of 6-2. The Belarusian could then face Dayana Yastremska in the third round.
Next, Sabalenka will likely have to face Mirra Andreeva again in the fourth round. But if Mirra leaves earlier than expected, the Belarusian could face Paula Badosa, Karolina Muchova or Daria Kasatkina.
The other half of the field is too unpredictable. Zheng Qingwen is the top-ranked woman, but since finishing runner-up at the Australian Open, she has had some hot moments. Maria Sakkari is on a four-match losing streak and has a long history of terrible performances at major tournaments. Fans are increasingly wondering how she still remains in the WTA top 10. Raducanu has reached the semifinals and quarterfinals of both grass-court tournaments she has played, so her performance at Wimbledon is worth watching.
Prediction for the quarter-finals: Aryna Sabalenka will defeat Emma Raducana
Fourth trimester:
Ranked players: (2) Coco Gauff, (7) Jasmine Paolini, (12) Madison Keys, (16) Victoria Azarenka, (18) Marta Kostiuk, (19) Emma Navarro, (26) Linda Noskova and (29) Sorana Cirstea
Expected quarter-finals: Coco Gauff vs Madison Keys.
Coco Gauff made headlines when she qualified for the main draw at Wimbledon at age 15 and reached the fourth round. Five years later, she has established herself as one of the best players on the women’s circuit.
The American lost to Sofia Kenin in the first round at Wimbledon last year, but then won her first Grand Slam at the US Open. Gauff also reached the semi-finals of both Grand Slam tournaments this year, so expect her to do well at Wimbledon as well.
Gauff will face American Caroline Dolehide in the first round and could face Elizabeth Cocciaretto in the second. In the third round, Eva Lis could wait for him.
Gauff’s potential opponents in the fourth round are Victoria Azarenka, Sloane Stephens, Karolina Pliskova, Naomi Osaka or Emma Navarro.
On the other side of the draw, Jasmine Paolini, who is having the best season of her career, will face Sara Sorribes Tormo in the first round and could face Heather Watson in the second.
Former US Open champion Bianca Andrescu could be a possible third-round opponent, followed by Madison Keys. The American has a fairly easy path to the fourth round, and given her results on grass, she will be the favorite.
Keys and Gauff could face each other in the quarterfinals. Madison is 3-2 in their head-to-head matchups and could win with experience.
Prediction for the quarter-finals: Madison Keys to defeat Coco Gauff
Predictions for the semi-finals
Swiatek isn’t as good on grass and Jabeur has reached the Wimbledon final twice in a row, so Ons seems to be the favorite. Sabalenka has had some injury issues lately and at this point the semi-finals seem to be the ceiling. At the same time, she could leave earlier from Andreeva or Kasatkina.
Ons Jabeur will beat Iga Swiatek
Madison Keys to beat Aryna Sabalenka
The final
Once Jabeur beats Madison Keys
Vyacheslav Gorbachev, Athletistic
Source: Sport
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
