This is a tasty first-round tie, with up-and-coming American Emma Navarro coming up against two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.
2025 WTA Tour
Grand Slam Tennis
Wimbledon Tennis Championships
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, England (Outdoor Grass-court)
Selected 1st Round Matches- 1st July
Emma Navarro (10) 0.22 vs Petra Kvitova 3.1
The nuggety Navarro has struggled to replicate her 2024 form during this year’s campaign, failing to go beyond the quarterfinal stage of any event outside of her title-winning run at the Merida Open (in what was a substandard field). She has been similarly inconsistent during this year’s grass-court swing, bringing a 4-3 record into this event. She looked quite solid at last week’s Bad Homburg Open, going down in three sets to eventual champ Jessica Pegula (she also reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals last season). Former two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova never played any tennis last season due to the birth of her first child. She returned to action in February and struggled with the demands of the tour (she brings a 1-6 record into this event). She lost to Haddad Maia in Queen’s and only qualified for this competition as a wildcard. As soon as the wildcard was granted, Kvitova announced that she would retire at the end of this year’s US Open. Could the big-serving Czech draw on her past experience and create one last upset ahead of her impending retirement?
The Verdict: Kvitova to win in three at 7.8- This will be their first career meeting. I think that Kvitova could cause one or two surprises this week, free in the knowledge that she will soon be leaving the grind of the tour behind her. Navarro will look to use her array of slices to test Kvitova’s mobility. But the Czech’s pinpoint lefty serve could rattle the American.
