World no 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland will open her Wimbledon 2023 women’s singles campaign against Zhu Lin while defending champion Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan has been handed a tough first-week draw.
Fresh off a successful Roland Garros title defence, Swiatek is projected to face No.7 seed Coco Gauff, against whom she has yet to lose a set in seven meetings, in the quarterfinals.
On the other hand, the Kazakh No.3 seed will open her campaign against the American Shelby Rogers, who has defeated Rybakina twice in five previous meetings.
In the second round, Rybakina could face Alize Cornet, whose 25 triumphs over Top 10 opponents include an upset of Swiatek at Wimbledon 2022 that snapped the World No.1’s 37-match winning streak.
There could also be a rematch of last year’s Wimbledon final in the quarterfinals, where Rybakina is projected to face No.6 seed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia.
Marquee first-round matches also include a clash of wild cards between seven-time major champion Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina, and Gauff against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.
Gauff could also meet the winner of the Williams and Svitolina tie in the third round, followed by either No.11 seed Daria Kasatkina or No.19 seed Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round.
Australian Open champion No.2 seed Aryna Sabalenka starts against Panna Udvardy. In the round of 16, She could face Karolina Muchova, in a rematch of the Roland Garros semifinals where she lost from match point up to Muchova.
The no.4 seed Jessica Pegula starts with a familiar foe: fellow American Lauren Davis. She is projected to face No.5 seed Caroline Garcia in the quarterfinals.
Former World No.2 Anett Kontaveit of Estonia, who is playing the final event of her career, has also been drawn in this quarter, will play qualifier Lucrezia Stefanini in the first round.
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