The women’s draw for the 2023 Wimbledon Championships was released on Friday. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek was pitted in the opposite half of the draw to that of defending champion Elena Rybakina and second seed Aryna Sabalenka – the trio who form the newly-minted WTA Big Three. In this article, we shall delve into the list of favorites, players to watch and dark horses to win the third Grand Slam of the season.
Wimbledon 2023 Betting Tips & Predictions
Women’s Singles: Favorites to Win the 2023 Wimbledon
Iga Swiatek will be the most relieved of the top 10 seeds in the draw, having landed in the opposite half of the draw to that of her closest challengers – Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka.
However, Swiatek received a sucker punch just moments after the draw. She admitted to feeling restless before her semifinal match in Bad Homburg due to a fever and a possible case of food poisoning. And now all over a sudden, Swiatek is in a race against time to recover and play her opening match in three days’ time.
Swiatek has never had a profitable grass-court campaign prior to this week, where she reached her first semifinal on grass in Bad Homburg. Still, you can never write off her chances given her dominance over the rest of the field on the other surfaces.
The World No. 1 should still comfortably make the quarterfinal where in-form Coco Gauff could be waiting in the wings.
The American is yet to scale the round of 16 hurdle at Wimbledon, but this is the best I’ve seen Gauff play on grass, and arrives at Wimbledon on the back of a semifinal run in Eastbourne where she defeated her doubles partner Jessica Pegula.
Gauff is our dark horse pick to win her first Major, and beating Swiatek in their projected quarterfinal could be some statement.
Elena Rybakina’s recent withdrawal from Eastbourne sparked fresh concerns about fitness ahead of her title defense.
The Kazakh has little momentum to cling on, with her draw bundled with upset artists. She faces a dangerous opener against big-hitting Shelby Rogers. And the prospect of playing Jelena Ostapenko and Petra Kvitova in back-to-back matches could spell doom for the reigning champion.
This is why we are backing Aryna Sabalenka as the outright favorite. The Belarusian did not fire on all cylinders in the tuneup tournament in Berlin, but her Grand Slam record in 2023 is enviable.
With a 12-1 record (had match points in her only defeat to Muchova), Sabalenka will reacquaint herself to the courts in SW19 for the first time since her semifinal run two years ago.
- Women’s Singles Winner Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka
- Women’s Singles Winner Dark Horse Prediction: Coco Gauff
Women’s Singles: Players to Watch at 2023 Wimbledon
Petra Kvitova is one of the most decorated grass-court players of her generation and one of two active multiple Wimbledon champions. Kvitova isn’t just a dangerous floater but is very much in the conversation of potential winners.
Kvitova has a great draw. Potential hurdles to the quarterfinal include Karolina Pliskova and last year’s finalist Ons Jabeur, but neither of them have hit the dizzying heights of their peak form.
Should the Czech lefty arrive at the quarterfinals, she might take on defending champion Elena Rybakina. Kvitova leads the head-to-head 2-1 and won the pair’s high-stakes match in the Miami final in April.
Jelena Ostapenko is in the same half of the draw as that of Kvitova and they could meet in the last eight, provided the Latvian can shock Rybakina in their projected fourth-round match.
Ostapenko won a title in the leadup to Wimbledon, but retired in her last tournament a day ago, prompting concerns. But there could be a silver lining after all, as she will now have sufficient rest time before her first match.
- To Win the Tournament: Petra Kvitova
- To reach the Quarterfinal: Jelena Ostapenko
Women’s Singles: Dark Horses to Reach Second Week at 2023 Wimbledon
Although we tipped Aryna Sabalenka to win it all, she faces a potential roadblock in her path. And one of the players Sabalenka would need to beat is Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in the round of 16.
Alexandrova won her second title in Rosmalen a couple of weeks ago and usually thrives on grass. The head-to-head is evenly poised at 2-2, with Alexandrova thumping Sabalenka in their only grass-court meeting at last year’s Rosmalen final. A rematch this fortnight could create fireworks.
Another player who could come to Wimbledon with a title under her belt is Madison Keys (due to play the Eastbourne final on Saturday).
Keys could play Maria Sakkari in the third round, with the winner facing off potentially against 10th seed Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round. The American big hitter has a losing record against Sakkari, but on a fast hard court, Keys will most likely turn the tables.
- To reach the Fourth Round: Ekaterina Alexandrova, Madison Keys
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