We do not usually get involved in slams until Round 2, but I would like to share a few things first and see where that takes us by the end of these notes............

 

Simona Halep- Anna Schmiedlova

 

Annus horribilis for Schmiedlova who is 0-12 in WTA events with her only win of 2016 coming in Sydney way back in early January. She is 1-7 on grass lifetime on the main tour and if and when she is going to turn this all around, it is unlikely to be on this surface against a top 5 ranked player ( she is 0-5 lifetime v top 10). I suspect she would rather be anywhere but on a tennis court right now.
 

Halep has not played since Roland Garros, but should win in two.  Halep won 6-4 6-1 !
 

 

Karolina Pliskova- Yanina Wickmayer

 

Pliskova came unstuck in the Eastbourne final, but Cibulkova did play very well. Ahead of that I wrote .............Karolina Pliskova (pictured) is finally fulfilling at least some of her huge grass court potential and she is in her second final of the summer on the surface, having won in Nottingham two weeks ago. Her flat groundstrokes and big, big serve ( she serves more aces than anyone on Tour) have always looked ideal for grass and she has the opportunity to get the "monkey" off her back today going into Wimbledo,n as the 24 yo, who has been ranked as high as #7 and is currently back up to #17, is 0-4 in Premier-level finals. You would think that the 1.86m 24 yo would have far too much ammunition for diminutive Dominika Cibulkova who at 1.61m on a good day, will have to stand on her toes to shake hands !  However, Cibulkova is 16-8 lifetime and 12-3 in the last four years against players who are 1.83m + but has never faced any of them on grass. This is a MASSIVE game for Pliskova in terms of her future, the four Premier final losses were all very close , she was quite a big underdog in each (facing top 10 players in good form), this is the one she is expected to win, Cibulkova will be pleased to have come this far on grass , but has not played a really big server all week. If Pliskova stays as loose as she was yesterday and serves as well as she has all week ( serving 28 aces in her last three matches and winning 67% of points on second serve), she should get a lot of free points today. It if comes down to a scrap, you would always like Cibulkova's chances, but I am going to suggest that Pliskova will get this done quickly.
 

I doubt Pliskova was very happy after that and this is a quick turnaround, also and I think this is quite important , she missed her slot to practice on the courts at Wimbledon on Saturday (there will not be another offered), as did Cibulkova.
 

Wickmayer beat Konta and Wozniacki at Birmingham before losing to Vendeweghe who is on fire, and then took Mladenovic close at Eastbourne, her last five matches against taller players on grass have gone to an average 27.2 games and it might take Pliskova a while to win this.
 

Over 20 games is an option. 28 games !
 

Pliskova to win in three likewise.  Pliskova won 6-2 0-6 8-6 !
 

 

Yaroslava Shvedova- Julia Goerges

 

Shvedova is not in the best of form (six first round defeats in seven events) , but I cannot really agree with 2.49 for her facing Goerges who is 0-6 on grass since 2012.
 

 

 

Camila Giorgi- Garbine Muguruza

 

We have already discussed Muguruza, she will probably win Wimbledon one year, it might be this, but I think going back to back, immediately after her first slam title is incredibly difficult.
 

Giorgi won s-Hertogenbosch last year and won six matches "here" in 2012 (three in qualifying) and is capable on the surface on a  going day and is not the kind of first round match up you dream of !
 

It took a while for Muguruza to realise she could play on grass en route to last year's final, but she does not have a lot of other form on the surface in her memory bank and was in trouble early against Luci-Baroni and Kerber 12 months ago and was very vulnerable in build up last year and I do not think she is yet in love with the green stuff !
 

This could go the distance and Muguruza has lost at least one set in 9 of her last 12 matches on grass, but a word of warning, Giorgi loves a double fault !

 

Muguruza in three sets.  Muguruza 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 !
 

 

Sabine Lisicki- Shelby Rogers

 

Here we have the most frustrating player in world tennis...............step forward Sabine Lisicki, who could easily, perhaps should have two Wimbledon titles to her name by now. I cannot be too mad as I (we ?) won a lot of money on her when she beat Serena here in 2013 (25/1 and 14/1 ....those were the days !). I think her loss to Marion Bartoli in the final that year broke her heart, she has had a lot of injury/ illness issues at these championships too. I doubt she can ever win now, but the same was said about Goran, what is true, is that on a  going day she can beat anyone on grass ,is as far removed from a 81st ranked player as it is possible to be and is a very dangerous floater.
 

Shelby Rogers had a great run at RG, but grass is not her thing and she has surrendered rather meekly in all her WTA starts on the surface.
 

 

 

 

 

Good Luck.