With Aryna Sabalenka’s shock withdrawal on Day 1 of the tournament, the top names in the women’s field will be looking to show why they should be the new tournament favourite. Elena Rybakina will open Court 1 on Tuesday, taking on Elena-Gabriela Ruse for a spot in round two.
Ruse will take part in Wimbledon main draw for the fourth time in her careering, adding another qualification to her two back in 2018 and 2019. The Romanian clearly has a game more suited to clay but managed to luck out with a draw, allowing her to ease through to the main tournament without dropping a set.
The argument for Rybakina as favourite remains the same – a strong serve and power game that should allow her to dominate on grass. She played only in Berlin last month, winning a match before a retirement due to illness in the next one. There’s no indication that there is a lingering problem so she should be fit and ready heading into the fortnight.
Ruse will try and stay solid, hoping for a bad day at the office from the Kazakh. It does seem likely that this one will end fairly quickly though with Rybakina having way too much power for the Romanian to withstand.
Prediction – Elena Rybakina in straight sets
