Five Takeaways from the Wimbledon Ladies Singles Draw

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Five Takeaways from the Wimbledon Ladies Singles Draw

The Wimbledon Draws are out and it’s going to be a bit crazy on the women’s side in week one. Did we say a bit crazy—okay, it’s going to be nuts. Here are five takeaways from the ladies singles draw at Wimbledon.

Ash Barty Has a Megadeath Draw

Ash Barty could have to face a pair of two-time Grand Slam champions just to reach the round of 16, and if she makes it there things will get even more complicated after that. Then it could be Belinda Bencic or Donna Vekic in the round of 16 for the current World No.1, followed by either Serena Williams or Angelique Kerber in the quarters.

Wow. If you’re scoring at home there are seven former Grand Slam champs in Barty’s quarter, as well as four former Wimbledon champions.

Lurking down in the lower half are Petra Kvitova, Kiki Bertens, Sloane Stephens and Johanna Konta.

Serena Williams will also face early challenges

Serena Williams could face 2018 semi-finalist Julia Goerges in the third round and potentially lock horns with defending Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber in the round of 16. If Williams survives, red-hot Ash Barty could be waiting in the quarters. It will get fast and furious for Serena Williams pretty early at Wimbledon. It is the quarter of death, after all.

Williams sports a 92-11 lifetime record at Wimbledon to go with her seven titles at SW19. She was a finalist here last year, but fell to Kerber in straight sets. It was supposed to be a 24th major title for the WTA GOAT--instead it was a crowning achievement for Kerber. What will happen this year if they meet again at Wimbledon?

So what about the bottom half?

The bottom half of the women’s draw doesn't have the dark feel to it, but it is no cakewalk either. While it does not feature the pedigree of the top half and its nine former Grand Slam champions, it still has the look and feel of a well-balanced and competitive section.

Minus the household names.

Naomi Osaka is the highest seed, and the World No.2 will open her third Wimbledon main draw experience with Yulia Putinsteva, the player that defeated her in the round of 16 at Birmingham. Third-seeded Karolina Pliskova could face the tricky Hsieh Su-Wei in the third round and potentially Marketa Vondrousova in the round of 16.

Simona Halep is also in this section, and the Romanian knows her way around the grass, having reached the last eight or better in three of the last five years.

Pliskova, who is set to face Angelique Kerber in the Eastbourne final, looks like the player who should come out of this section, and the lack of big names opposing her could make that easier.

In reality the relative thinness of the lower half could make it possible for a lesser-known commodity to make her way through to the semis or finals. How about Madison Keys, Sonia Kenin, Petra Martic or Anastasia Sevastova?

*Many* First-Rounders to Die For

Also tucked in the lower half of the draw are two Americans at the opposite edge of the age spectrum: 39-year-old Venus Williams and 15-year-old Coco Gauff. The pair will square off in an unlikely first-round affair that features a living legend against a player that was not born until said living legend had won the first four of her seven career Grand Slam titles.

Many who have watched Gauff develop over the last few years have said that her style of play is reminiscent of Venus’. Her body is longish and athletic like the older Williams sister, and she cracks the serve with similar ferocity. She also makes her way to the net in similar fashion.

There are other great first-rounders on the women’s side, and we’ll list a few below, should you be interested in planning your tennis viewing for Day 1 and Day 2 at Wimbledon

Aryna Sabalenka v Magdalena Rybarikova: Rybarikova is great on grass (semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2017) and Sabalenka also plays pretty well on the surface (Eastbourne finalist last year).
Simona Halep v Aliasksandra Sasnovich: Sasnovich knocked off Petra Kvitova in the first round at Wimbledon and went on to reach the round of 16 last season, so she could definitely challenge Halep.
Jelena Ostapenko v Hsieh Su-Wei: Last year’s semi-finalist will have to solve one of tennis’ trickiest puzzles in Hsieh (who defeated Halep at Wimbledon and made the second week last season) if she wants to defend some of those points.
Angelique Kerber at Tatjana Maria: The defending champ will face a fellow German that is not a household name but very solid on grass.
Belinda Bencic v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova: The pair have played three times (Bencic won two) but never on grass.
Dayana Yastremska v Camila Giorgi: Don’t expect much finesse in this battle of grip-it-and-rip-it connoisseurs. But it will most certainly be interesting.
Alison Riske v Donna Vekic: Riske and Vekic have always embraced the grass and both have made finals this summer on the surface. Riske won ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Vekic fell in the Nottingham final to Caroline Garcia.

Who’s Hot? Who’s Not?

Ash Barty may have a difficult draw, but will it even matter to the hottest player in tennis? The Aussie is riding a 12-match win streak that has taken her to the Top of the WTA rankings.

All the players that won titles on grass in 2019 (Garcia, Riske, Barty, Kenin and either Kerber or Pliskova) will come in with confidence, but the trick is to parlay it into a successful run at a different, more prestigious event.

Other players that have looked good on the grass? Kiki Bertens went 7-2 on the surface in 2019, reaching the final at ‘s-Hertogenbosch and the quarters at Eastbourne.

Angelique Kerber has gone 6-1 with a semi-final in Mallorca and will play tomorrow’s final at Eastbourne; Karolina Pliskova lost to her sister in the second round at Birmingham but has since rebounded by reaching her fifth career grass-court final at Eastbourne.

Jelena Ostapenko defeated both Johanna Konta and Sloane Stephens on grass this summer, and finishes with a 4-2 pre-Wimbledon record.

Falling into the "not hot" category would be Naomi Osaka, who split her two matches at Birmingham and lost the No.1 ranking to eventual champion Ashleigh Barty.

Elina Svitolina went 0-2 on grass this summer, losing to Margarita Gasparyan in Birmingham and Alizé Cornet at Eastbourne.

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