2025 Wimbledon - Ladies’ Singles Preview
We have four previous Wimbledon champions among the field entering the Ladies’ Singles event this year:
Dual winner Petra Kvitová (2011, 2014j and the past three - Elena Rybakina (2022), Markéta Vondroušová (2023) and reigning champion Barbora Krejčíková.
Only one of those is seeded in 2025, and she only at #11.
Still I am hopeful enough to place Elena Rybakina in my list of the four semi finalists I trust will prevail in a couple of weeks.
Elena will be joined by Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, and Zheng Qinwen.
Aryna Sabalenka (1) must be annoyed twice over - being a beaten finalist in the first two majors this year, and losing to that darned American in two Grand Slam tournament finals, including the one just gone In Paris.
So it’s guns blazing for CoCo at Wimbledon.
Firstly there is other business for which she has to attend.
Californian born Canadian Carson Branstine is the qualifier drawn for Aryna in her first round, where she will practice her shot making for later on.
Second round tune up either Lulu Sun or Marie Bouzková - the latter has,had a win over Sabalenka, but this year in the Brisbane quarter finals, it was a straight sets win for the top seed. So it will be again on the grass here.
The home crowd would like to see Emma Raducanu in the third round, but more likely it will be either unseeded 2023 champion Markéta Vondroušová or McCartney Kessler (32), who just wrapped up the Nottingham title.
Sabalenka will kill off Kessler’s hopes and scream into the round of sixteen.
Elina Svitolina (14) can’t seem to defy Sabalenka - they have played each other 6 times and Elina’s sole success was on the Strasbourg clay back in 2020. Wimbledon has seen two semi finals for the Ukrainian mum.
One certainty - no shaking of hands at the net with Belarusian Aryna.
A near certainty is a Sabalenka quarter final berth.
There will be sweet revenge for what Madison Keys (6) dished out in Melbourne Park.
Not total revenge though. For that, Keys would need to hand over the trophy.
But the keys to a semi final will do for now.
Zheng Qinwen (5) was sick and tired of losing to Sabalenka.
6 straight losses - the second being the 2024 Australian Open final.
Finally her serve matured, giving the rest of her game impetus, and the win came in Rome this year.
Aryna subsequently put her clamp on the Chinese number one with a Roland Garros quarter final victory.
Zheng Qinwen has established herself as a permanent member of the top ten, and will be a major stumbling block this Wimbledon.
She faces Kateřina Siniaková in a first round battle guaranteed to feature frequent threatening net play from the doubles number one.
However entertaining this should be, the better returning capability of Zheng Qinwen will show out.
Naomi Osaka is on a sort of comeback after giving berth, and her results are a bit hit and miss coming into a possible second round clash with Zheng Qinwen.
Another miss for Naomi.
The seeded player for Zheng Qinwen to meet in round three is Ashlyn Krueger (31) - never past the opening round.
Others in the section also don’t offer great recent Wimbledon records, except for Australian Ajla Tomljanović, a quarter finalist in 2021 and 2022.
Zheng Qinwen has yet to play Ajla, but will enjoy the win once it’s determined.
Round of sixteen opposition is a lottery. Jelena Ostapenko (20), Diana Shnaider (12) or Ons Jabeur. Ons is a twice Wimbledon finalist, and if she is able to recapture that form, she is a danger early.
Zheng Qinwen too solid, and into the quarters.
Jasmine Paolini (4) is the Wimbledon and Roland Garros beaten finalist from 2024.
A lot to defend, and I believe she will fall short against Zheng Qinwen, just as she has each of the other four times they have met.
Jessica Pegula (3) is the favoured American to reach the semi finals in my book. Fresh from defeating Iga Świątek in the Bad Homburg final, to grab her second grass court title, Jessica is primed for Wimbledon 2025.
Elisabetta Cocciaretto is first round victim. The Italian was beaten by Pegula in their single prior meeting, third round 2023 Wimbledon.
Earlier exit for Elisabetta in 2025.
Second round will be either a fellow American Katie Volynets for their first meeting, or Tatjana Maria, whose only matches against Pegula have been victorious for the German veteran. (2011 and 2016).
Third round could be Magda Linette (27) or Belinda Bencic. Linette has a best Wimbledon of reaching the 3rd round on three occasions, while Bencic has made the round of sixteen also three times.
Pegula has lost each of the four times she has played Bencic, so perhaps a first time for everything.
However, it is purely academic since Linette will be matched against Pegula, and she has lost all three of their contests.
Karolína Muchová (15) will likely reach the round of sixteen and say farewell at that point thanks to Pegula.
Although Pegula is drawn to play teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva (7) in the quarters, there are dangers potentially stopping that match up.
Reigning champion Barbora Krejčíková presents as one.
Jessica will pass the test and sail into the semis.
Elena Rybakina (11) could pull off the shock of this Wimbledon.
And yet she has all the shots to become a dual champion.
Starting with round one - Elina Avanesyan met once in Rome 2022 and won
Round two either Maria Sakkari or Anna Blinkova.
Sakkari has lost 4 of the 5 matches with Rybakina, while Blinkova has won both of her contests.
Wimbledon has not been much of a feeding ground for either Maria or Anna, so should be simple passage into round three for Rybakina.
To this point one would have expected, according to the draw, Clara Tauson to have advanced.
However, she has never passed the first round in three attempts.
Anna Kalinskaya was a round of sixteen participant last year, and I believe she will be a third round opponent this year for Rybakina.
And lose.
Favourite surface and favourite tournament are not grass and Wimbledon for Iga Świątek (8).
She still managed to achieve a quarter final in 2023.
Not in 2025, as Elena closes the exit gate behind her.
The supremely confident CoCo Gauff (2), smile not leaving her face since her Roland Garros triumph, is about a fortnight away from having that smile wiped off the dial.
Losing in the Wimbledon quarters to Elena Rybakina is something probably not contemplated but I am envisaging it.
Semi final predictions:
Aryna Sabalenka (1) defeats Zheng Qinwen (5)
Elena Rybakina (11) defeats Jessica Pegula (3)
Final prediction:
Aryna Sabalenka (1) defeats Elena Rybakina (11)
