Caroline Wozniacki finds herself in the unusual position of being unseeded at a Grand Slam event. However, the former World No. 1 will still be the slight favorite to move on to the second round against Svetlana Kuznetsova. The No. 13-seed, though, is having quite a resurgence this season and will be eager to end Wozniacki’s Wimbledon run.
Get a full breakdown of this first round matchup below. And for more of Tuesday’s Wimbledon action, check out our previews of Coco Vandeweghe vs. Kateryna Bondarenko.
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Wozniacki will enter Wimbledon unseeded after poor form and a recent injury have resulted in a disappointing 2016 thus far. She didn’t have the greatest hard court season, reaching the semifinals just once in seven tournaments. She then missed the entire clay court season with an ankle injury.
The 25-year-old former World No. 1 is now down to No. 45, and still in search of her best form. She crashed out within the first two rounds at her first two grass court tournaments (Nottingham and Birmingham). But she did show some signs of improvement in her most recent tournament at Eastbourne, where she won two matches (against Alize Cornet and Samantha Stosur) before losing to Monica Puig.
Wozniacki has also struggled throughout her career at the All England Club. She’s never advanced past the fourth round of Wimbledon, the lone Grand Slam where she’s failed to do so.
Wozniacki does have a favorable record against her first round opponent, Svetlana Kuznetsova, though. She holds the slight 6-5 edge in terms of career head-to-heads, and has won their only two meetings on grass.
Kuznetsova is having a career resurgence in 2016. The 31-year-old veteran is currently up to No. 14 in the world after some excellent performances this year, namely: a tournament victory in Sydney, a final appearance at the Miami Masters, a semifinal showing in Prague, and a place in the last 16 at the French Open.
However, the No. 13 seed is in serious danger of getting knocked out at the very first round of Wimbledon. She is coming off a first-round exit in her only grass court tournament of the year at Eastbourne, losing in three sets to Kateryna Bondarenko in a match which she really should have won.
Kuznetsova has three quarterfinal appearances at Wimbledon, but the last of those three came all the way back in 2007. She has struggled mightily at the Grand Slam ever since, crashing out at either the first or second round in four out of her last five appearances.
Writer’s Prediction
Wozniacki (-155) continues to work her way back to form with a first-round win over Kuznetsova.
