3 Key Wimbledon First Round Matches to Watch
Wimbledon is one of the premier venues in all of sports. After being canceled last year due to COVID-19, players and fans are excited to be back in London to watch all the matches over the next couple of weeks.
Despite a few big names missing -- Naomi Osaka and Rafael Nadal -- there are stil big names with important matches. Here are three important matches to watch in the first round of Wimbledon.
All odds listed are via WynnBET.
Serena Williams vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Despite being on the back nine of her career, Serena Williams is still one of the biggest draws in tennis. She is also still one of the most dominant players on the planet. Williams is at the point in her career where she is judged on if she is winning Grand Slams or not. For Williams, another Grand Slam win would tie her with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam wins of all-time (24).
Her road to capturing No. 24 at Wimbledon begins on Tuesday with her first round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Williams is an overwhelming favorite, coming in with -1000 odds to advance. That is no surprise as Williams has overtaken the No. 1 ranked player in the world, Ashleigh Barty, as the favorite to win Wimbledon with +550 odds.
Williams is expected to be in the final and her quest for her first Grand Slam in four years.
Ashleigh Barty vs. Carla Suarez Navarro
Barty (+600 to win it all) is the No. 1 seed and the No. 1 ranked player in the world, yet she is not the favorite to walk away from Wimbledon as the champion. Barty had been the favorite leading up to the tournament, however she has now lost control of her favorite status.
Suarez Navarro should be an easy match for Barty, as she has -3000 odds to win the match. She has played well in the tournaments leading up to Wimbledon and should be a contender to be the last one standing. For Barty, each Grand Slam is a chance to bolster her title as the No. 1 player, as she only has one Grand Slam to her name.
Tuesday is the start of Barty’s revenge tour, as she tries to avenge her loss in Paris just a few weeks ago.
Daniil Medvedev vs. Jan-Lennard Struff
According to the odds standings, Wimbledon is Novak Djokovic’s to lose. However, Medvedev is one of the few people to give Joker (-135 to win it all) consistent fits and could prove to be the best threat to take him down.
As the No. 2 seed, Medvedev still has one of the easier paths to the final. He starts his campaign tomorrow against Struff, where he is -650 to win the match. As for the tournament as a whole, Medvedev has +700 odds, good enough to place him second in the standings. First-round matchups for favorites are all about getting warmed up and in a groove.
Tomorrow should be no different for Medvedev as he starts his journey to win his first ever Grand Slam.