Young Stars Swiatek, Korda, and Gauff Move On at Wimbledon

Young Stars Swiatek, Korda, and Gauff Move On at Wimbledon

6 min read

The biggest news on Tuesday was Seren Williams' unfortunate retirement due to an injury just six games into her opener against Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Despite the drama and the rain, play is moving along at the All England Club with a few youngsters already turning heads. Sebastian Korda, Iga Swiatek, Cori Gauff, and Claire Liu are all through to the second round.

Swiatek Starts Strong

Last year’s Roland Garros champion Swiatek (UTR Rating 13.11*) is one of the youngest stars in title contention at Wimbledon. The 20-year-old Pole beat good friend Hsieh Su-Wei 6-4, 6-4 on Monday to set up a second-round clash with Vera Zvonareva (UTR Rating 12.60). Per INSIGHTS, Swiatek is favored at 76% to beat the Russian in their first career meeting.

“Even though I'm seventh seed, I don't give myself more pressure because I know that I don't have experience. I just try to learn as much as possible,” Swiatek said in press. “Maybe my tennis is not going to be as good as on other tournaments, but I'm feeling great, and I'm pretty happy to be here and to have opportunity.”

 

 

According to INSIGHTS, Swiatek is one of nine women with a greater than 2% chance of winning Wimbledon. Her odds of winning her second major are currently at 6%, despite Hsieh being her first-ever win at the All England Club.

Korda Stuns De Minaur

On Tuesday, American 20-year-old Korda (UTR Rating 15.44) took out No. 15 seed Alex de Minaur, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5). INSIGHTS accurately predicted the upset by giving Korda a 56% win probability and a higher trending UTR.

After reaching his first ATP Masters quarterfinals in Miami and winning his first ATP title in Parma, Korda is making his Wimbledon debut. He beat de Minaur just two days after his older sister Nelly won her first major at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and reached No. 1 in the world.

 

 

Kostyuk, Liu and Gauff Advance

Korda wasn’t the only youngster to notch an upset as 19-year-old Marta Kostyuk (UTR Rating 12.54) ousted No. 17 seed Kiki Bertens (UTR Rating 12.00). INSIGHTS had given Kostyuk a 78% chance of beating the Dutch 29-year-old, who announced her plans to retire after this season.

Another young name to keep a close eye on is 2017 junior Wimbledon champion Liu (UTR Rating 12.35). The 21-year-old American came through qualifying before outlasting Misaki Doi 2-6, 6-3, 9-7. Liu will be the underdog in her second-round match against No. 18 seed Elena Rybakina (UTR Rating 12.69). INSIGHTS gives Rybakina the edge with a 69% chance of advancing.

As has been the case since her 2019 Wimbledon breakthrough, everyone is watching what Gauff (UTR Rating 12.80) does. The 17-year-old started her campaign with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Francesca Jones.

Featured Wednesday Second Round Matches

Venus Williams (UTR Rating 11.92) vs. Ons Jabeur (UTR Rating 12.79)

Williams beat Mihaela Buzarnescu in three sets, 23 years after winning her first match at Wimbledon in 1998. Meanwhile her next opponent, No. 21 seed Jabeur, made quick work of Rebecca Peterson. INSIGHTS gives Jabeur a sizeable 86% chance of winning her first career meeting against the seven-time Grand Slam champion. Williams is also in the mixed doubles event with none other than Nick Kyrgios.

Frances Tiafoe (UTR Rating 15.15) vs. Vasek Pospisil (UTR Rating 15.19)

Tiafoe stunned No. 3 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas on Monday in straight sets and will look to back up that achievement against Canadian 31-year-old Pospisil. INSIGHTS is calling a tight match with Pospisil slightly favored at 53%. Tiafoe has many grass-court matches under his belt with an 8-2 record this summer going into the second round, while Pospisil is a former champion at the All England Club, winning the 2014 doubles crown with Jack Sock.

 

 

Honorable Mention

Andy Murray (UTR Rating 14.86) will play qualifier Oscar Otte (UTR Rating 14.85) after a dramatic 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over No. 24 seed Nikoloz Basilashvili on Monday. Murray led 5-0 in the third set and squandered two match points before safely making it through. Otte needed a deciding fifth-set tie-break to get past Arthur Rinderknech.

Liudmila Samsonova (UTR Rating 12.32) came out of qualifying to win the grass-court WTA 500 in Berlin and continued her momentum with a 6-4, 6-2 win over perennial dark horse Kaia Kanepi on Tuesday. The 22-year-old is seeking her first Grand Slam third-round appearance.

Stay tuned for more from INSIGHTS, and to learn more about Universal Tennis, click here.

•UTR Ratings and INSIGHTS predictions as of 4 p.m. EST, June 29.

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