Serena Williams’ quest for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title will begin once again as she takes on the relatively unknown Italian Giulia Gatto-Monticone in the first round of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships on Tuesday, July 2. The timings of this match are yet to be confirmed. You can find the Serena Williams v Giulia Gatto-Monticone live streaming options, preview and predictions here.
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Serena Williams v Giulia Gatto-Monticone Head to Head
This will be a first meeting between these two players.
Serena’s Best Chance Of Winning Her 24th Major Title
Serena Williams will once again have the weight of history on her shoulders as she aims to equal Margaret Court’s all-time Grand Slam singles record of 24 titles.
Since capturing a 23rd Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open in 2017, Williams took an extended maternity leave from the game to give birth to her first child that same year. She returned to tennis at the beginning of last year to a limited schedule and like how symbolic her career has been, she has been required to fight through all manners of challenges as a new mother.
From postpartum depression and code violations to blowing match-points and aching knees, Williams has had to deal with them all. Now that she is healthy and pain-free, could we brace ourselves for a moment of history in two weeks’ time?
Well, that is not entirely out of question, but if the legendary American can pull it off it will be far from easy. The 37-year-old has been handed a horror draw. The likes of newly crowned World No.1 Ash Barty, former champion Garbine Muguruza and defending champion Angelique Kerber are all lurking in her half of the draw.
The 11th seed has won seven Wimbledon titles (second only to Navratilova’s nine) and is projected to meet Angelique Kerber – in a rematch of last year’s final – in the the fourth round. Belina Bencic, Kaia Kanepi, Alison Riske and Donna Vekic – players who are considered strong on grass – are all in Williams’ portion of the bracket as well.
At least Serena can take heart from an easy opening round match against a relatively unknown Italian woman.
Gatto-Monticone to Play Her First Main Draw Match at SW19
At the age of 31, the little known Giulia Gatto-Monticone will make her Wimbledon debut when she takes on the 23-time Grand Slam champion. The Italian played in her first professional match in 2002, but 17 years of toil have finally been paying off.
After capturing her 10th ITF trophy in Kofu in March, Gatto-Monticone broke into the World’s Top 200 for the first time. She went on to make her Grand Slam debut at the recently-concluded French Open to become the oldest Grand Slam debutante in 42 years.
Now at a career-high ranking of No.162 the veteran Italian is playing her best tennis of her life. She had never even played Wimbledon qualifying before, and she credits her mindset when two years ago she realized she was not young anymore.
Williams v Gatto-Monticone Predictions & Tips
It is a surreal moment for Gatto-Monticone and she will enjoy it while it lasts. Serena Williams knows this will be her best chance of winning another Major title and she could not have asked for a comfortable opener. Although the American’s path towards the final will be incredibly difficult, she will breeze past Gatto-Monticone here.
Tip: Under 17.5 games in the match: 8/11 (888Sport)
The Williams v Gatto-Monticone match can be watched live with Unibet here on July 2, 2019. Also, get the latest tennis tips and predictions here.
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