Wimbledon gets underway today, and second on Centre Court is big British hope Emma Raducanu. Ever since her breakthrough run at the US Open in 2021 the 21-year-old has been unable to back up the result. However, facing Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round on home soil, she’ll be hoping to make a strong start at Wimbledon.
Who will come out on top in this blockbusting first-round clash? Read on for our Raducanu vs Alexandrova prediction and betting tips.
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Player Form: Decent Lead-In for Both
Both Raducanu and Alexandrova come to Wimbledon having been quite active on the grass ahead of this week.
For Raducanu, she’s more than doubled her career grass victories in the past month. The Brit performed well in Nottingham, making her way to the semi-finals where she pushed eventual champion Katie Boulter to a third set. The next week, she backed up with an Eastbourne quarter-final, bagging her maiden top five victory over Jessica Pegula.
Alexandrova has grabbed a few wins as well. The Russian had been suffering a grim patch of form over the clay season, winning just one match and losing six. However, as soon as she hit the grass, Alexandrova made the Libema Open semi-finals. Since then, she’s lost second round in Berlin and Bad Homburg.
How the Bookies View It: Home Girl Favoured
Bookmaker Betfred has Raducanu ahead in this clash, despite her lower ranking. The Brit pays 8/11 to win, while Alexandrova is not far behind on 11/10. A narrow -1.5 handicap is given to Raducanu at 5/6, while set betting expects this to be 2-0 her way as well.
Recent Head-to-Head: Nothing to See Here
Raducanu and Alexandrova have not met before on the WTA Tour.
Anything Else Catch the Eye?
Raducanu will have huge crowd support at Wimbledon. This could go either way–big pressure, or big encouragement when she needs it most.
Alexandrova has much more experience on grass than Raducanu. She’s played 46 matches total, compared to her opponent’s 14. Last year, Alexandrova rode a hot patch of form through to the Wimbledon Round of 16, having won s-Hertogenbosch in the lead-in.
Alexandrova vs Raducanu Betting Tips & Predictions
This should be a fascinating clash. We expect Raducanu to continue her momentum and grab an upset of No. 22 seed Alexandrova, but it will likely be a tight match.
- Raducanu to win @ 8/11
- Raducanu to win 2-1 @ 11/4
Raducanu and Alexandrova play second on Centre Court this Monday. Check out our women’s outright betting predictions in the meantime, for our overall winner and dark horse picks.
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