- Defending ladies’ champion Simona Halep withdraws
- Top Seeds: Ashleigh Barty, Aryna Sabalenka, Elina Svitolina, Sofia Kenin
- British Interest: Johanna Konta [27], Heather Watson, Katie Swan [Q], Emma Raducanu [W], Samantha Murray Sharan [W], Francesca Jones [W], Harriet Dart [W], Jodie Burrage [W], Katie Boulter [W]
LONDON, UK – Who will benefit the most in what looks like one of the most wide-open draws on the ladies’ singles side?
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[1] Ashleigh Barty
Best Result: Fourth Round (2019)
The World No. 1 started the season looking like she had never been away through the worst of the pandemic year, but injury in the clay court season saw her withdraw mid-match in just her second-round match at Roland Garros, and in the quarter-final of Rome previously.
Barty’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Carla Suarez Navarro | H2H: First Meeting
- R2: Anna Blinkova | H2H: First Meeting
- R3: Johanna Konta [27] | H2H: Barty leads 3-1
- R4: Barbora [14] | H2H: First Meeting
- QF: Bianca Andreescu [6] | H2H: Barty leads 1-0
- SF: Elina Svitolina [3] | H2H: Svitolina leads 5-3
- F: Aryna Sabalenka [2] | H2H: Tied at 4-4
It is potentially a decent draw for the World No. 1 who has never been past the round of 16 at Wimbledon. It will be a poignant first round match with the returning Carla Suarez Navarro after her battle with Hodgkin Lymphoma, as she bids her farewell to the tour.
But the injury concerns leave Barty undercooked.
[2] Aryna Sabalanka
Best Result: Second Round (2017)
Grass is a surface where Sabalenka should be able to maximise her game, and strong performances in Eastbourne in 2018 made people excited about her prospects finally at a Slam. But once she arrives at Wimbledon, it has been a very different story.
Sabalenka’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Monica Niculescu [Q] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 1-0
- R2: Katie Boulter [W] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 1-0
- R3: Ekaterina Alexandrova [32] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 2-1
- R4: Maria Sakkari [15] | H2H: H2H: Sakkari leads 4-1
- QF: Iga Swiatek [7] | H2H: First Meeting
- SF: Sofa Kenin [4] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 2-0
- F: Ashleigh Barty [1] | H2H: Tied at 4-4
Sabalenka has long been expected to be a factor in Slams, but it never seems to happen for her beyond the round of 16. She has reached that level on the hard courts of Australia and the US but in Europe – despite decent showing prior to the clay and grass Slams, it has not translated, and Sabalenka could be one of the shock exits early on.
[3] Elina Svitolina
Best Result: Semi-final (2019)
Another player for whom Slam greatness has often been expected, she has twice reached the semi-final stage, including Wimbledon.
Elina Svitolina’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Alison Van Uytvanck | H2H: Svitolina leads 1-0
- R2: Magda Linette | H2H: Svitolina leads 2-0
- R3: Paula Badosa [30] | H2H: Svitolina leads 1-0
- R4: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova [16] | H2H: Pavlyuchenkova leads 3-2
- QF: Serena Williams [6] | H2H: Williams leads 5-1
- SF: Ashleigh Barty [1] | H2H: Svitolina leads 5-3
- F: Aryna Sabalenka [2] | H2H: Tied at 1-1
It hasn’t been the strongest start to the grass court season for Svitolina, with just one win from three matches, but her draw is actually very strong, at least until the second week, especially with Serena Williams in her draw.
[4] Sofia Kenin
Best Result: Second Round (2018, 2019)
Kenin had previously favoured the sunny climes of Mallorca for her prep but once on British grass the results just have not come for her.
Kenin’s Path to the final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Wang Xinyu [Q] | H2H: First Meeting
- R2: Madison Brengle | H2H: Kenin leads 1-0
- R3: Veronika Kudermetova [29] | H2H: Kenin leads 1-0
- R4: Elise Mertens [13] | H2H: Kenin leads 2-1
- QF: Karolina Pliskova [8] | H2H: Pliskova leads 4-0
- SF: Aryna Sabalenka [2| H2H: Sabalenka leads 2-0
- F: Ashleigh Barty [1] | H2H: Barty leads 4-2
Kenin will come into Wimbledon very much undercooked, with no matches on grass leading into this tournament, but she has got a decent draw at least up to the start of the second week.
Wimbledon takes place between 28 June to 11 July.
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