Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA London match.
Queen’s Club, larger in stature than 's-Hertogenbosch, has attracted those looking to fine-tune their grass game ahead of Wimbledon. World No.11 and the fourth seed in London, Elena Rybakina, is set to take on the local favourite Heather Watson.
Heather Watson
Born on the French coast but proudly representing Great Britain, Heather Watson hails from the island of Guernsey. Despite the home crowd behind her, grass isn’t her preferred surface — she’s historically more comfortable on hard courts. Her Wimbledon preparations began early, but not successfully. She bowed out in the second round of the low-tier Birmingham event to world No.140 Jessika Ponchet (4:6, 7:5, 5:7). Before that, she failed to make it through Roland Garros qualifying, losing to No.137 Daria Saville in straight sets (6:7, 2:6).
Elena Rybakina
The Kazakh player only loses to the strongest, as was the case at Roland Garros. In Paris, Elena Rybakina fell in the fourth round to the fifth-seeded and four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Świątek (6:1, 3:6, 5:7). When the Pole shifted into her highest gear, Rybakina—despite putting up resistance—ultimately had to concede defeat.
Heather Watson vs Elena Rybakina Prediction
Rybakina, a Wimbledon champion in 2022 and a semi-finalist in 2024, should comfortably dispatch Watson, who is struggling even against players outside the top 100. This match-up is heavily tilted in favour of the Kazakh.
