Among the 128 players who will contend to become the 2016 ladies’ singles champion, only three have previously lifted the prestigious Venus Rosewater Dish on the final Saturday.
One of them is Serena Williams, and while her six-previous Wimbledon titles and long stint as world No.1 make her the undeniable favourite in 2016, a seventh title is far from a straightforward feat for the defending champion.
In her 17th campaign at the All England Club, Serena first faces an unknown prospect in either a qualifier or a lucky loser. Her second round opponent will be either Christina McHale or Daniela Hantuchova, and then the world No.1 may face Heather Watson, who famously pushed Serena in an intense three-set battle at the same stage of the 2015 Championships. First the popular local would need to progress past Kristina Mladenovic, the No.31 seed, in the second round.
Another difficult re-match for Serena could be against the No.6 seed Roberta Vinci, who memorably ended the American’s quest to claim an historic calendar-year Grand Slam with a semi-final upset at the 2015 US Open. If both progress so far at the 2016 Championships, they would meet in the quarter-finals.
The path is equally challenging for two-time champion Petra Kvitova in the top half of the women’s draw. The winner in 2011 and 2014, the 26-year-old Czech faces a dangerous first-round opponent in Sorana Cirstea, who returns to the All England Club after an injury absence in 2015. Having dropped outside the world’s top 10 after an inconsistent first half of 2016, Kvitova could also face former finalists Agnieszka Radwanska and Eugenie Bouchard if she progresses to the final.
Venus Williams, a five-time champion and the No.8 seed, is contesting Wimbledon for the 19th time. She meets Donna Vekic in the opening round before a possible second-round meeting with either Zheng Saisai or a qualifier.
Other seeded players in Venus’ quarter include Daria Kasatkina (the No.29 seed), Jelena Jankovic (No.22), Carla Suarez Navarro (No.12), Samantha Stosur (No.14), Elina Svitolina (No.17) and Lucie Safarova (No.28).
The most challenging opponent, though, would be No.2 seed Garbine Muguruza, who progressed to her first Grand Slam final at the 2015 Championships and became a major champion with victory at Roland Garros. The No.2 seed drew a difficult first round opponent in the unpredictable Camila Giorgi, and should the draw progress according to the seedings, would likely face Safarova in the third round and either Stosur or Svitolina in the fourth. Most notable for Muguruza is that she would need to defeat both Williams sisters to claim a second Grand Slam title at this event.
On the same side of the draw as Muguruza is the 2016 Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, who will open against Laura Robson in a rematch of their 2011 first-round match, which Robson won in three sets.
Other seeds in Kerber’s quarter include Simona Halep (the No.5 seed) and Madison Keys (No.9), who open against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and Laura Siegemund respectively.
One of the most intriguing first-round battles will be the one between former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, who faces the No.13 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova. There
is also an intriguing clash between Lucie Safarova and Bethanie Mattek-Sands, doubles partners who have claimed two Grand Slams together. No.7 seed Belinda Bencic meets former semi-finalist Tsvetana Pironkova while Johanna Konta, the No.16 seed, will aim to maintain her impressive 2016 trajectory with a first round win over Monica Puig.
