World number one Iga Swiatek will begin her 2024 Wimbledon Championships campaign against Sofia Kenin, who upset Coco Gauff in the first round last year.
The American has been a pretty strong player at times in her career, but this year hasn't been that way. She's actually struggled the most that she ever had in her tennis career.
She has struggled in recent years, but this year, she has posted a 7-16 record overall so far. The inconsistency in her game is proving quite tough to overcome because she's just not able to outplay her opponents over the course of the whole match to win it.
Viktorija Golubic's 50-minute win over Kenin in Eastbourne doesn't increase her chances in this match, but she will be challenging a player who has generally not played all that well on grass either.
The two have played two times in WTA Tour-level matches so far, and Swiatek won both times. Their first meeting came at the 2020 French Open, where they faced in the final, and the Pole won in two sets.
Their second match happened earlier this year at the Australian Open, and Swiatek once again won in two sets. Their Australian Open match was extremely competitive in the opening set, so perhaps there is something in the matchup that Kenin can exploit.
The World No. 1's weak record on grass is certainly a boost, but she's looked better every year, and it's widely expected that she'll look even better this year.
Kenin, at her best, can make this match very interesting, but looking at her performances so far this year, it will be difficult.
| Iga Swiatek | Sofia Kenin | |
| 2 | H2H | 0 |
| 1 | Rank | 48 |
| 23 | Age | 25 |
| 45-4 | 2024 W/L | 7-16 |
| 326-70 | Career W/L | 267-183 |
While this could be an interesting match, anything but Swiatek's win would be a major surprise.
Prediction: Iga Swiatek to win in two sets.