Wimbledon 2026: Ladies’ Day 1 Tips & Preview

Sabalenka’s quest for an elusive Wimbledon title begins against an 18-year-old qualifier. Kostovic is part of a young wave of teenagers making an impact on the WTA Tour and it is necessary to remind people that she won her way into the main draw and what a way to make your Grand Slam debut! She won at least 50% of 2nd serve points in all three qualifying matches and although the level of her upcoming opponent is superior to what she has faced, those figures combined with 15 aces in her last two matches tell us that her serve is one of her strengths. Sabalenka is known to spray balls when shifting to all out attack mode and that could happen here.

Best Bet: Over 17.5 games ($1.75)

With respect to preparation, Jesicca Pegula is well-placed to make a deep run at SW19. She beat Keys and Sabalenka in consecutive matches before losing to Noskova in the final of Berlin a fortnight ago so will be brimming with confidence. Vidmanova took a very different path, a hard court WTA125 event in Portugal, but claiming her maiden WTA Tour title earned her the ranking point to gain automatic entry into the field here. The concern for Vidmanova is making her Grand Slam debut on a surface that she would have very little experience on. The bulk of her success has come on clay and adjusting to the slicker green grass will not be easy. There could be a bagel in Pegula’s favour in this one.

Best Bet: Under 18.5 games ($1.88)

Mirra Andreeva joined a short list of names to become a major champion while still a teenager and with her game still developing, there is no doubt that it was the first of many. She took a few weeks off after the French Open and defeat in her first match on grass came as no surprise. The shift to Wimbledon means it is time to lock back in and a battle with Linette is a good way to start her campaign. Andreeva holds a 3-1 edge in the H2H which includes straight set wins in the last two meetings. The most recent came in Qatar earlier this year with Andreeva winning 7-6 6-1. Andreeva has been able to consistently break the Linette serve and a repeat of that her will see her win in straight sets.

Best Bet: Andreeva -1.5 Sets ($1.62)

An incredible 7 years have passed since Gauff burst onto the scene here – beating Venus Williams when she was only 15 years old! Despite becoming a two-time major champion, Gauff is yet to make it past the 4th Round here and her defensive style is a major reason why. Her only meeting against Korpatsch came back in 2019 in the qualifiers of Linz where she lost in straight sets. We will not be using that match as a guide but will turn our attention to the recent form of Gauff. Lost her only grass court match to Badosa but that is not half as bad as Korpatsch who has lost her last four matches. That includes failing in the qualifying stage in Berlin and Bad Homburg. Got broken 5 times by Begu which suggests that Gauff will have a field day in return games.

Best Bet: Under 17.5 games ($1.95)