With a pregnant Serena Williams absent from this year’s Championships, and pre-tournament co-favorites Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova both losing in the second round, there is no clear favorite remaining in the ladies’ draw. It’s a huge opportunity for the remaining eight women to hoist the Venus Rosewater Dish in the air just four days from now. Seven of these eight women have never done so, except of course for the five-time champion who shares her name with the trophy.
Before we get to the women’s quarterfinals, action will start earlier than anticipated at noon local time on Centre Court. Due to the length of the epic five-set match on Monday between Rafael Nadal and Gilles Muller, Novak Djokovic’s fourth round match versus Adrian Mannarino was re-scheduled for Tuesday’s order of play. It’s a rematch from last year’s Wimbledon second round, which Djokovic won in straight sets. This should be another straightforward victory for Novak, and the quicker the better as far as his title chances are concerned. If he wins, Djokovic will be back on the court the very next day with much less rest than his would-be quarterfinal opponent, Tomas Berdych.
Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Garbine Muguruza
As the men’s fourth round concludes on Centre Court, this will be the first match on No.1 Court at 1:00pm local time. That is if the weather cooperates, as the forecast for Tuesday shows a strong chance of rain, which could negatively impact the women in the matches scheduled for No.1 Court if they cannot be completed. Muguruza took part in a phenomenal match on Monday in taking out number one seed Angelique Kerber, playing the best tennis we’ve seen from her since last year’s Roland Garros. She’s looking to return to the Wimbledon final for the second time in three years. Kuznetsova has two majors to her name, but this is only her fourth trip to the Wimbledon quarterfinals in her long career. It’s her first time advancing this far at SW19 in 10 years, and she’s never been farther. Kuznetsova has had a rather nice draw to this point, but has still looked impressive and has won all eight sets that she’s played. Muguruza has won the last three meetings with Kuznetsova, and will be the favorite here as well.
Venus Williams vs. Jelena Ostapenko
The first women’s quarterfinal of the day on Centre Court will feature the only remaining woman to previously win this tournament, but Venus Williams hasn’t won a major singles title in nine years. Venus was at her best on Monday in quickly ousting 19-year-old Ana Konjuh. Will the 37-year-old be able to sustain her top form over three more matches? On Tuesday she’ll face another opponent nearly half her age in 20-year-old French Open Champion Jelena Ostapenko. Most everyone expected a letdown following Ostapenko’s shocking run at Roland Garros, but just a few weeks removed she is backing it up brilliantly. Jelena is the first woman in over a decade to follow-up her maiden major title by reaching the quarterfinals of the next major. Could she possibly continue her momentum all the way to the Venus Rosewater Dish? While Ostapenko has yet to show any signs of shrinking on the big stage, this will be her Centre Court debut – that has to rattle her at least a little, right? This may not be the best matchup for Ostapenko, as it will be difficult for her to hit Venus off the court as she has other opponents. It’s hard to bet against the five-time Wimbledon champion in what should be a fascinating first-ever meeting.
Coco Vandeweghe vs. Magdalena Rybarikova
Vandeweghe has been impressive through four rounds at Wimbledon, having not dropped a set with a new coach and former Wimbledon champion on her team in Pat Cash. This is Coco’s second Wimbledon quarterfinal in three years, and it comes on the heels of her Australian Open semifinal in January. Coco struggled following Melbourne, losing almost as many matches as she won, but has found her confidence again on the grass. Rybarikova is the biggest surprise of these championships, making her first trip to the second week of a major. She ousted Karolina Pliskova last week on Centre Court, and hasn’t looked back since. Due to knee and wrist surgeries, Rybarikova was ranked 453rd in the world just four months ago. Her ascent in the rankings in such a short time is startling: next week she’ll return to the top 50. If you consider ITF events and qualifying rounds, Rybarikova is now 17-1 on grass over the past month. She is also 2-0 lifetime against Vandeweghe, which includes a match on grass from 2011 as well as a victory just a few weeks ago at Roland Garros. The big-hitting, swaggering Coco will need to be in top form to avoid being upset on No.1 Court by an opponent with a ton of momentum.
Simona Halep vs. Johanna Konta
Unfortunately when struggling to pick a winner of late on the WTA tour, too often the best bet is to pick the player who will be feeling less pressure. In what should be a very tight match on Centre Court, I’m just not sure which player that will be. If Halep wins on Tuesday, she’ll become the new number one player in the world. Konta has already survived two very close three-set matches at the Championships, after arriving with only one previous win at the All England Club. Surely the pressure of playing the biggest tournament of the year on home soil has to be weighing on her, though she’s risen to the occasion thus far and embraced the crowd’s support. Konta leads their head-to-head 2-0, including a victory in Miami earlier this year. But Halep is in a better mindset than she was earlier this year, and is yet to drop a set in this tournament. Simona also must be the fresher of the two, though Johanna has stronger weapons in her game and plays a style that’s more suited for the grass. Let’s hope regardless of who wins, both women overcome their nerves and play their best. If they do, this could be an outstanding contest between two of the most elite WTA players.
Full order of play
Centre Court (12:00:)
Adrian Mannarino (Fra) v (2) Novak Djokovic (Ser)
(10) Venus Williams (USA) v (13) Jelena Ostapenko (Lat)
(6) Johanna Konta (Gbr) v (2) Simona Halep (Rom)
Court 1 (13:00)
(14) Garbine Muguruza (Spa) v (7) Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus)
Magdalena Rybarikova (Svk) v (24) Coco Vandeweghe (USA)
