2021 Wimbledon Championships First Round – Varvara Gracheva vs Petra Martic Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
Where is Varvara Gracheva vs Petra Martic taking place? Varvara Gracheva vs Petra Martic will take place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon, England
When is Varvara Gracheva vs Petra Martic on and what time does it start? Varvara Gracheva vs Petra Martic will take place on Monday 28th June, 2021 – not before 13:00 (UK) / 08:00 (US EST)
What surface is Varvara Gracheva vs Petra Martic being played on? Varvara Gracheva vs Petra Martic will be played on an outdoor grass court
Where can I get tickets for Varvara Gracheva vs Petra Martic? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for Varvara Gracheva vs Petra Martic
What channel is Varvara Gracheva vs Petra Martic on? Coverage of Wimbledon is shared between BBC and Eurosport
Where can I stream Varvara Gracheva vs Petra Martic? 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
VARVARA GRACHEVA
Russia’s Varvara Gracheva lost in the first round of the Bad Homburg Open last week to eventual finalist Katerina Siniakova but she reached the quarter-finals there in the Women’s Doubles. The 20-year-old is currently ranked at world number 90, not far off a career-high 86th in the WTA rankings she achieved earlier this month. Gracheva beat Sloane Stephens at the Phillip Island Trophy earlier this year in what looks her most impressive win of the season and she also made the semi-finals of a 125 event in France. She has reached the third round of Roland-Garros and last year’s US Open but is making her Wimbledon debut here.
PETRA MARTIC
World number 30 Petra Martic has had a mixed season with her best result to date coming in a semi-final exit to Karolina Pliskova at the Italian Open. The Croat lost to Belinda Bencic at both the German Open and Eastbourne International over the last few weeks but her game should be able to fare well on grass if she can get some rhythm. 30-year-old Martic has just one WTA title to her name so far and she has reached at least the round of 16 in each of the four Grand Slams, with a quarter-final at Roland-Garros in 2019 her best showing.
THE PREDICTION
This could be a first round upset if world number 30 Petra Martic cannot find a way out of her current slump. Varvara Gracheva has been impressive in parts this season and two third round finishes from just four Grand Slam campaigns so far is very promising indeed. Still, Martic holds a really healthy 3-0 lead in their head-to-head record having never dropped a set to Gracheva at the Prague Open and US Open in 2020 and the Emilia-Romagna Open on clay earlier this year. The Croat is not up to her best level yet and so taking her as outright winner seems the safest option in what could be a nervous first match at SW19.
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