A few interesting second-round picks from Wimbledon today, and the McNally-Rybakina match alone is worth watching closely. Let's get into it.
WTA Wimbledon Predictions
Belinda Bencic vs Xinyu Wang
Head-to-head: First meeting
Bencic is playing her first Wimbledon since returning from maternity leave, and honestly she's looked pretty sharp so far. Her slice backhand and flat ball-striking are genuinely well-suited to grass and she's never been a player who struggles with the surface. Wang had a decent first round but Wimbledon is not where her game naturally clicks, and she hasn't made it past the second round here in any of her previous appearances.
This one might go three sets because Bencic is still finding her rhythm back on tour, but I think she gets through.
Prediction: Bencic in 3
Caty McNally vs Elena Rybakina
Head-to-head: McNally 1-1 Rybakina
That 1-1 head-to-head is a bit deceiving. McNally's win came on hard courts, and Rybakina on grass is a completely different problem. The serve alone, which becomes almost unplayable on this surface, is enough to make most players uncomfortable. Hard to see McNally causing many problems here at all. Rybakina is one of the two or three best players in the world on this surface and she's going to be among the favorites to win the whole thing.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Diana Shnaider vs Liudmila Samsonova
Head-to-head: Shnaider 2-0 Samsonova
Shnaider leads their head-to-head 2-0 and both wins came on hard courts, so grass is genuinely new territory for this rivalry. Samsonova's big serve and flat groundstrokes aren't bad tools to bring to Wimbledon, and she can be dangerous when she's hitting freely. That said, Shnaider has been one of the most improved players on tour over the past year and she carries real confidence right now. I feel like the H2H advantage means something even if the surface is different, and Shnaider should get it done in three, all things considered.
Prediction: Shnaider in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Rob Prange/AFP7 via ZUMA Press Wire