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Serena Williams is seven-time Wimbledon champion. (AP)
Once upon a time, the absence of a prohibitive favorite in a female Grand Slam would result in accusations of "chaos in the WTA". This year, when there is still no woman to beat, most of the discussions focused on the wide variety of scenarios in the ladies' board and the intriguing first-round encounters. Well Named. Here is an overview of the scenarios that are most likely to end happily when the fortnight is over.
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First Quarter
Will Simona Halep's victory at Roland Garros help or hurt her at Wimbledon? ? On the one hand, she should be relaxed; on the other, she might be too relaxed and not as desperate to win as she was in Paris. Halep is best known for her success on clay and clay, but she has gradually learned her way into the grass at Wimbledon. Semi-finalist in 2014, she has reached the quarter-finals the last two years.
Another deep race will not come easily. With Petra Kvitova, Maria Sharapova, Jelena Ostapenko and Johanna Konta, the Halep section is rather busy. In fact, the favorite to leave it must be Kvitova. After her early exit to Paris, she resumed where she had stopped with a title in Birmingham last week. And we all know what she thinks of Wimbledon
Third-round match possible to watch: Sharapova vs. Ostapenko
Demifinalist: Kvitova [19659003] ** ***
Second Quarter
For a reigning champion and a No. 3 seed, Garbiñe Muguruza went a little out of the way. Although her story is not as convincing as that of Serena Williams or Petra Kvitova at the moment, and although she has not had her best season in the general, there is no reason to think that Muguruza could not win another title. She reached the semifinals at Roland Garros, and her draw could be worse. Caroline Garcia, who is 7-5 at Wimbledon, is next.
But there are also names to note. Muguruza could face Anett Kontaveit in the third round, Ashleigh Barty or Daria Kasatkina in the fourth round, and Angelique Kerber or Naomi Osaka in the quarters. Kerber in particular appeared to be in shape in Eastbourne, where she reached the semifinals last week.
First-round match to watch: Garcia vs. Belinda Bencic, finalist Kerber vs. 2010 Vera Zvonareva, Osaka vs. Monica Niculescu
Demifinalist: Kerber
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Third Quarter
After years of ups and downs, Sloane Stephens & # 39; the ranking finally reached the top rung of the game. Before 2018, she had never cracked the Top 10; now she is the No. 4 seed at Wimbledon, and comes to the top of her own quarter of the table. Can Sloane meet these expectations? This would require another breakthrough. While she reached quarters here in 2013, she has not passed the third round since. She also has a pretty tough first match against Donna Vekic, who loves grass.
If Stephens reaches the quarterbacks, she could find one of three formidable opponents who are waiting for her: Karolina Pliskova, Victoria Azarenka, or five-time champion and 2017 runner-up Venus Williams. While Pliskova says her grass game remains a work in progress, and Azarenka has struggled to put two good matches together this spring, Venus still lives for Wimbledon, even after 20 years of making the trip. But she will want to make sure that she starts faster than she has been at the majors; She lost in the first round to the Australian Open and the French Open
First-round matches to watch: Mihaela Buzarnescu vs. Aryna Sabalenka, Julia Goerges against Monica Puig, Barbora Strycova against Svetlana Kuznetsova, Stephens against Vekic
Demifinalist: V. Williams
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Fourth Quarter
Serena Williams is ranked 25th, but it is unrelated. The point, on the contrary, will be its form. Roland Garros was still likely to be a warm up for Wimbledon for her; the question is, did she do enough to shake off the rust in her week in Paris? Serena seemed to improve every game over there, and she will have two more matches at Wimbledon before she can face fifth seeds Elina Svitolina. With regard to the high seeds, there are purer ones than it could play; Svitolina only has 5-5 at Wimbledon
But there are names to see in this section besides Serena. We have Madison Keys, who is coming out of a semifinal to the French, and who seems destined to win Wimbledon one day. We have Magdalena Rybarikova, a surprise semi-finalist, last year. We have CoCo Vandeweghe, twice quarter-finalist at Wimbledon. And we have the No. 2 seed, Caroline Wozniacki, who played a stubbornly good tennis this week by reaching the Eastbourne Finals.
Possible matches in the third round to watch: S. Williams vs. Svitolina, Keys against Rybarikova, Demifinalist: S. Williams
Demifinalist: S. Williams
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Semi-finals: Kvitova d. Kerber; S. Williams d. V. Williams
Final: S. Williams d. Kvitova
A LANDMARK DOCUMENTARY DURING THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS EVENT IN SPORTS, CELEBRATING UNRIVALED FEDERER-NADAL RIVALITY AND THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREATEST MATCH EVER PLAYED.
In association with All England Lawn & Tennis Club, Rock Paper Scissors Entertainment and Amblin Television. Directed by Andrew Douglas.
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