Wimbledon Day 1 Women’s Predictions Including Jasmine Paolini vs Anastasija Sevastova

Day 1 of Wimbledon kicks off with a whopping 32 women’s matches–half of the first round. As always, our team here at LWOT will share their thoughts on every single match with you. We split the 32 matches between eight articles. In addition to this articles, the other feature Aryna Sabalenka vs Carson Branstine, Elina Svitolina vs Anna Bondar, Emma Raducanu vs Mingge Xu, Leylah Fernandez vs Hannah Klugman, Madison Keys vs Elena Gabriela Ruse, Naomi Osaka vs Talia Gibson, and Amanda Anisimova vs Yulia Putintseva. Predicting these matches are Jordan Reynolds, Tope Oke, and Yesh Ginsburg. Who do you think will win?

Wimbledon Day 1 Women’s Predictions

Varvara Gracheva vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich

Jordan:
Gracheva’s inconsistency makes her matches to predict. But she played well at Eastbourne to reach the semifinal and might have found form for Wimbledon at the right time. Sasnovich reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2018, but I still think Gracheva has a higher ceiling on grass.
Prediction: Gracheva in 2

Tope:
Both players arrive here in decent form and in a match that could swing either way, the Russian has the edge with her decade-long experience at SW19.
Prediction: Sasnovich in 3

Yesh:
Sasnovich is a really solid player most of the time, and she has a good history on grass. Gracheva is hard to figure out, but her recent results don’t inspire much confidence.
Prediction: Sasnovich in 2

Marketa Vondrousova vs McCartney Kessler

Jordan:
This is a terrible draw for both players. A week ago, Vondrousova won the Berlin Open on the same day that Kessler secured the Nottingham Open title. 2023 Wimbledon champion Vondrousova’s best level is slightly better on grass, and she must be desperate to avoid losing in the opening round for a second consecutive year.
Prediction: Vondrousova in 3

Tope:
This promises to be one of the matches of the first round. Both players have won their last five matches and took the titles in Berlin and Nottingham, respectively, heading into Wimbledon. Expect this to go down to the wire and it is unfortunate there has to be only one winner.
Prediction: Vondrousova in 3

Yesh:
Both of these players won grass warmup titles. I won’t pick against the former champion in the opening round, but an upset here wouldn’t be a shock. Both are playing really well right now.
Prediction: Vondrousova in 3

Donna Vekic vs Kimberly Birrell

Jordan:
Last year’s semifinalist Vekic has not had great grass court results before Wimbledon. Birrell is dangerous when her game clicks, but she usually performs best on hard courts. Vekic might be able to win this match without being at her best.
Prediction: Vekic in 2

Tope:
Donna Vekic’s has only managed to win a single match this grass season in stark contrast to last year. However, on the big stage she should come alive against Birrell, who will be making her debut here.
Prediction: Vekic in 3

Yesh:
Vekic is so hard to predict. She almost retired because she wasn’t playing nearly her best for years, then she had a huge breakout last year. Then results have been inconsistence since. Still, she has the much higher upside, so I’ll expect her to find her form eventually.
Prediction: Vekic in 2

Jasmine Paolini vs Anastasija Sevastova

Jordan:
Sevastova has had some bright moments this year, including winning two main draw matches at the Madrid Open. That does not Paolini being an overwhelming favorite for this contest. Her grass court game is far ahead of Sevastova’s at this stage of their respective careers.
Prediction: Paolini in 2

Tope:
This will be Sevastova’s second match on grass in four years and while she’s capable of the impossible, last year’s runner-up, Jasmine Paolini, is all dialed-up and will be looking to make another deep run.
Prediction: Paolini in 2

Yesh:
Paolini hasn’t quite found the form this year that took her to the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon last year, but she’s not that far off. She should win this one easily.
Prediction: Paolini in 2