2021 Wimbledon Championships First Round – Elise Mertens vs Harriet Dart Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
Where is Elise Mertens vs Harriet Dart taking place? Elise Mertens vs Harriet Dart will take place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon, England
When is Elise Mertens vs Harriet Dart on and what time does it start? Elise Mertens vs Harriet Dart will take place on Tuesday 29th June, 2021 – not before 11:00 (UK) / 06:00 (US EST)
What surface is Elise Mertens vs Harriet Dart being played on? Elise Mertens vs Harriet Dart will be played on an outdoor grass court
Where can I get tickets for Elise Mertens vs Harriet Dart? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Elise Mertens vs Harriet Dart
What channel is Elise Mertens vs Harriet Dart on? Coverage of Wimbledon is shared between BBC and Eurosport
Where can I stream Elise Mertens vs Harriet Dart? If televised on BBC, this match can be streamed live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. If the match is televised on Eurosport, subscribers can stream the match live on Eurosport Player
THE LOWDOWN
ELISE MERTENS
World number 16 Elise Mertens is an excellent all-court player but first round losses at the Birmingham Classic and Eastbourne International are disappointing results for her preparation. The Belgian number one has six WTA titles to her name so far after winning the Gippsland Trophy in Melbourne at the start of the year. 25-year-old Mertens’ best showing at a Grand Slam so far is reaching the semi-finals of the Australian Open in 2018 but she has never made it past the round of 16 here. Mertens will have her sights firmly set on the win here and the Singles as a whole but she also has a great chance in the Women’s Doubles as the third seeded pairing with Su-Wei Hsieh.
HARRIET DART
24-year-old Harriet Dart played some excellent tennis over three grass-court tournaments this month at the Nottingham Open, Birmingham Classic and last week’s Eastbourne International. Even in defeat, taking a set off Elena Rybakina last Tuesday was a great performance from the world number 142 and she was competitive in the Women’s Doubles events across the month too. Dart’s best showing at a Grand Slam was an incredible run to the third round of Wimbledon back in 2019 but she also made the second round at the Australian Open this season.
THE PREDICTION
Harriet Dart received a wildcard to the Wimbledon main draw as one of many British hopefuls playing on Monday. 25-year-old Mertens was the winner way back in 2014 in their only previous match when both players were teenagers but realistically this is a fresh start for their head-to-head. The Belgian number one is the solid favourite to come through in straight sets here but the crowd will likely come out in force to support Dart and that could make things interesting. Therefore, take Mertens to win outright on Court 18 in what does have some of the ingredients for an upset.
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