The 2019 Wimbledon is set to start from Monday, July 1, and will feature a spectacular playing field, as usual. The women’s draw made on Friday is without a doubt among the most competitive ones in recent times. From Maria Sharapova’s campaign in SW19 to Serena Williams aim to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slams, there is a lot to look out for in this grass-court Grand Slam.
Let us take a look at some of the key highlights in this draw analysis of the Wimbledon Championships 2019 Women’s Singles here.
No. 1 Spot Wide in the Open
A total of five players are in contention for the World No. 1 WTA singles ranking in London. With Ashleigh Barty, we will also see Naomi Osaka, Karolina Pliskova, Kiki Bertens, and Petra Kvitova fighting for the No. 1 crown.
An interesting thing to observe here will be how Osaka and Barty navigate their tricky draws. The two players are separated by a little over 150 ranking points and any slip in form may result in one leapfrogging the other. However, it may be just momentary with Pliskova coming in strong with a good form on grass.
For Kvitova and Bertens to become World No. 1, they will need to win the tournament – a feat that is Herculean for both the players. Both of them were in great form before getting steamrolled in Paris.
Despite Kvitova’s superior record in Wimbledon, it is going to be a challenging ask of her to surpass the playing field. She skipped the grass court preparations in a bid to recover from her arm injury. While she appears to be 100% ready for the competition, only time will tell how far she can go.
On the other hand, Bertens will start her run against Mandy Minella and it won’t be until the fourth round before she faces stiff resistance either from Elise Mertens, Eugenie Bouchard, or Qiang Wang. Things will get difficult for her second round onwards, with Kvitova, Stephens, and Konta possibly waiting for her.
Group of Death for Serena Williams
Former World No. 1 and seven-time winner Serena Williams will start her campaign as the 11th seed against the Italian qualifier Giulia Gatto-Monticone. While we can expect her to breeze through the initial rounds with ease, she is likely to run into problems starting in the fourth round.
She is in the group of death, which is rightly called so. At the bottom of her bracket is the defending champion Angelique Kerber, who defeated Williams in last year’s final at the SW19. In recent weeks, she enjoyed a couple of decent runs in the Mallorca Open and WTA Eastbourne as she reached the semifinal. She has more momentum on the grass and that can be troublesome for the American.
Should Williams clear that hurdle in the round four and survive the first week, she may very well run into Ash Barty next, who is enjoying life as World No. 1. Post that, she may face the likes of Kvitova, Sloane Stephens, or Bertens for a place in the final.
Sharapova Seeking to Reignite the Spark
Maria Sharapova won her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon back in 2004. Since then, she has reached the final in London only once, at the start of the decade. She missed out on the tournament in 2016 and 2017 while last year, she lost in the first round itself.
The Russian has spent a lot of this season struggling and recovering from a shoulder injury. The 32-year-old returned to action after a hiatus of four months in the Mallorca Open, where she lost to Kerber in the second round.
To add to her form woes, Sharapova has been handed a rather difficult draw in the competition. Seeking her first title since the 2017 Tianjin Open, she is in the group of death as well. Starting with Pauline Parmentier, she may face Kerber as early as the third round. If she manages to negotiate that win, she may then face Serena Williams, Barty, Bertens, and other big guns the next week.
Watch the 2019 Wimbledon live streaming here.
Halep, Osaka Looking to Dominate
Simona Halep and Naomi Osaka are placed in the bottom half of the bracket and can potentially meet each other in the quarterfinal. For that to happen, the two ladies have a long, demanding journey ahead of them.
To begin with, neither of them have looked sharp in the last few weeks. Osaka slipped in the singles ranking after early exits at the Roland Garros and Birmingham, where she fell to Yulia Putintseva. As for Halep, she lost to Kerber in the quarterfinal in Eastbourne last week, playing in her one and only grass tournament before the Wimbledon.
The Romanian may run into the bevy of players like Victoria Azarenka, Daria Kasatkina, Aryna Sabalenka, and Venus Williams in a bid to win her bracket. Osaka, meanwhile, may have to possibly subdue Sofia Kenin, Caroline Garcia, and Caroline Wozniacki to make it past the fourth round.
Interestingly, Osaka is starting her campaign against Putintseva herself, a player she lost to on grass a couple of weeks back.
Pliskova Looking Primed
Irrespective of the seedings, Karolina Pliskova is certainly going to fancy her chances in London. She has been among the most consistent players this year (a win-loss record of 34-9 and two singles titles as of WTA Eastbourne) and is only a matter of time before she takes a good run in the Wimbledon.
Among all the top seeds, she has the easiest bracket. Pliskova may very well reach the fourth round without dropping a set before meeting her rising compatriot Marketa Vondrousova. Last year, the third-seeded Czech reached the fourth round and this time, there is a good possibility that she may go further.
Konta, Dart Leading the British Hopes
Local favourite Johanna Konta will lead the way for the Brit players as the number 19 seed. Placed in the same bracket as Kvitova and Stephens, she has quite a road to clear. Konta will start against the Romanian qualifier Ana Bogdan. The Brit has been in a decent form and is coming in with quite a bit of momentum from the clay swing.
Furthermore, Konta has always preferred the grass surface and given her form recently, there is no reason why she cannot replicate that feat here in Wimbledon.
As for Harriet Dart, she will start her campaign against Christina McHale and may possibly face the always threatening Garbine Muguruza next. The likes of Heather Watson and Katie Swan don’t have it easy either, having been placed in the same half as Pliskova and Bertens respectively.
Watch Out for these Dark Horses
Marketa Vondrousova is one of the many young sensations to have caused a storm on the WTA Tour. The 20-year-old Czech became World No. 16 after reaching the final in the French Open. Vondrousova also made it to two other finals this year and is certainly a dominating force on the tour.
She has already defeated many top 10 players and by her standards, she has got herself a fairly convenient draw. Her first real threat may come in the fourth round against either Karolina Pliskova or Kirsten Flipkens. Post that, Voundrousova may find Elina Svitolina, Petra Martic, or Maria Sakkari possibly waiting for her.
Amanda Anisimova, the 17-year-old American is another player who can cause quite a ruckus at the Wimbledon. She is set to play in the tournament for the first time and so far this year, she has been nothing but phenomenal. She may face Kvitova as early as the third round but on her best day, she can easily surpass that hurdle. Similarly, Bianca Andreescu is another player who makes the cut.
We will continue to bring you all the latest updates and development from the 2019 Wimbledon – Men’s and Women’s Singles. You can find the live streaming links right here on the site, along with the latest odds and predictions. The bottom half of the draw will begin play on Monday while the top half is set to start from Tuesday. You can get the full draw here.
In the meantime, who do you think will win the tournament this year? Let us know in the comments section below!
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