Most of the top seeds in the Ladies’ Singles had a disastrous time at Wimbledon in 2018. Garbine Muguruza, Petra Kvitova, Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep all lost early on, and they were far from the only big stars who fell to unheralded opponents.
So is the same kind of carnage going to happen again this year? Hopefully not to the same extent, but you never know with the women’s tour because it is so competitive at the moment.
Likely Wimbledon Winners
Defending champion Angelique Kerber is on fire in Eastbourne this week. She is yet to drop a set and she took down Simona Halep with a brilliant performance in the quarter-final.
On the strength of those displays, and her past record on grass, the German should be regarded as the best player on grass and the favourite to win Wimbledon. However, she does have a very tough draw to contend with.
Karolina is also in brilliant form. She is storming through the draw at the Nature Valley International and looks imperious on grass at the moment.
Before 2018, the Czech had never made it past the second round at Wimbledon. Last year, she finally broke that streak by reaching the fourth round, and it seems very likely that this time she will go even further.
Considering how well she is playing, Pliskova can definitely win Wimbledon this year. She has a favourable draw, and a potential third-round meeting with the mercurial Jelena Ostapenko could prove to be the biggest obstacle she faces before the semi-final.
Barty may suffer early exit from the quarter of death
You may be wondering why you did not see new World No.1 Ashleigh Barty in the previous section. She will be flying high after lifting her first Grand Slam trophy at Roland Garros and then immediately following it with a Premier title in Birmingham.
However, the Australian faces probably the most difficult draw imaginable. She is seeded to meet 2017 champion Garbine Muguruza in the third round, Belinda Bencic or Donna Vekic in the fourth round, and then Kerber in the quarter-final. If she somehow gets through that minefield, anything is possible.
As it that quarter did not sound loaded enough already, it also features Serena Williams, Julia Goerges and Maria Sharapova. The 23-time Grand Slam champion is in poor form and short of match practice. Therefore, she will probably lose in the third round to Birmingham finalist Goerges. Sharapova will almost certainly lose to Kerber at the same stage – if she gets that far.
Osaka, Svitolina and Stephens also look vulnerable to upsets
The rest of the draw are probably delighted to see that medley of grass court specialists thrown in together. However, that does not mean there will not be any other shocks.
Ninth seed Sloane Stephens really struggles on grass. She could theoretically lose at any time. One thing is certain: she will be very worried about a potential third-round meeting with Johanna Konta.
Eighth seed Elina Svitolina still does not look comfortable on grass. Furthermore, she is yet to reach peak match fitness after her knee injury, so she will probably lose to either Margarita Gasparyan in the second round or Maria Sakkari in the third round.
No.2 seed Naomi Osaka also looks all at sea on the lawns, so she could lose at any time. Her first match will be against Yulia Putintseva, the player who beat her in Birmingham.
The Japanese player may also succumb to Dayana Yastremska, Camila Giorgi or Mallorca champion Sofia Kenin in the third round. If she makes it past that stage, she could fall to Caroline Garcia or Caroline Wozniacki in the last 16.
Two other seeded players could be particularly vulnerable at Wimbledon. French Open runner-up Marketa Vondrousova has only won four of the 11 matches she has played on grass since turning professional. Therefore, she could lose to Madison Brengle, Anett Kontaveit or Heather Watson.
Meanwhile, Elise Mertens has also struggled on the lawns in the past, so she could be knocked out by Andrea Petkovic or Monica Niculescu in the second round.
Who else could win Wimbledon?
While the favourites are easier to identify than last year, there is a long list of other potential winners.
If Barty or Serena emerge from the quarter of death, they could win. If Osaka finds her feet on grass, she could take home the title. And if Petra Kvitova is fit enough to play and gets through the early rounds, she could claim a third Wimbledon crown.
Then there are several players who are definitely capable of winning the title but will need to step up at crucial times.
Madison Keys is a superb grass-court player. However, she may not be fully fit and she will probably have to beat Aryna Sabalenka and Simona Halep to reach the last eight. Halep finds grass the most challenging surface but she will have a chance if she can get past Keys.
The draw has been kind to Johanna Konta, particularly if Kvitova withdraws, so she could go a long way if she can handle the weight of expectation from the home crowd.
Then there are four other players in the quarter of death – Muguruza, Bencic, Vekic and Goerges – who could go on to great things if they survive. There are also two big-hitters elsewhere in the draw who can beat anyone on their day: Sabalenka and Ostapenko.
[Also published on womenssporthub.com]