Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Wimbledon match.
After an early elimination from Roland Garros, Paula Badosa will be determined to bounce back at Wimbledon. Her opening opponent is Katie Boulter (No. 43), whose current form leaves plenty of question marks.
Paula Badosa
Badosa’s campaign in Berlin ended prematurely due to injury, which forced her to withdraw against Wang Xinyu. However, just before that, she put on a superb performance against Emma Navarro (No. 10), winning 7:6, 6:3. The standout aspect of that match was her solid defensive play — she allowed just one ace. The same was true against Eva Lys, who didn’t manage a single ace.
Katie Boulter
Boulter, meanwhile, faced just one top-level opponent on grass this season — Diana Shnaider (No. 15), who gave the Briton no chance (2–6, 6–3, 6–2). In that match, Boulter racked up nine double faults, and this wasn’t an isolated incident. Across five grass-court matches, her best serving display still included seven double faults — and in the others, even more.
Paula Badosa vs Katie Boulter Prediction
Wimbledon brings immense pressure, which tends to inflate the number of unforced errors. Badosa is by far the more experienced and skilled player, and that should help her handle both the nerves and her opponent.
