Each day through the first four rounds, Richard Pagliaro will preview three must-see matches—and give his predictions.
(12) Vera Zvonareva vs. Kim Clijsters
—Head to Head: Clijsters leads 7-3
Veterans meet in this rematch of the 2010 U.S. Open final, which Clijsters swept two months after the then-21st-ranked Zvonareva knocked the Belgian out of the Wimbledon quarterfinals. You never know when the lack of match play will catch up to Clijsters, but she’s playing her final Wimbledon at the only major where she hasn’t reached the final, so she will surely be pumped for this one.
Zvonareva has won three of their last five meetings, but has also experienced injury-induced inactivity. She missed Roland Garros with a sore shoulder and has played fewer singles matches than Clijsters this season. The 2010 Wimbledon finalist can do a little bit of everything, but Clijsters is bigger, stronger, and does everything a little bit better. Given the fact they’ve split two prior Wimbledon meetings and half of their matches have gone the distance, it wouldn’t be surprising to see another tight one here. But Clijsters gets the nod.
The Pick: Clijsters in three sets
(15) Sabine Lisicki vs. Sloane Stephens
—Head to Head: Stephens leads 1-0
We picked Stephens to beat No. 23 seed Petra Cetkovska in round two, and some posters charged “bias” for favoring the American. Get serious. Tennis is international; move past the label next to her name and look at her game. Stephens is a Top 20 talent who has an imposing serve, typically plays with plenty of spin on her ground strokes, and is extremely quick around the court. Playing just her fifth major, the 19-year-old is still refining the rough edges of her game, but will not survive if she has too many lapses against the 2011 Wimbledon semifinalist.
Lisicki lost four consecutive matches after spraining her left ankle tumbling to the court in Charleston in April. But she owns a heavy serve, bounced back with two wins at SW19, and the fact she’s also entered in doubles is a sign that her health is improving. If Lisicki is landing her first serve, she will be tough to beat, but Stephens is explosive and rapidly improving, and we’ll roll with her again.
The Pick: Stephens in three sets
(17) Maria Kirilenko vs. Sorana Cirstea
—Head to Head: Cirstea leads 2-1
A 2009 Roland Garros quarterfinalist, Cirstea has a history of coming up with big wins in majors: She upset Samantha Stosur in the opening round of the Australian Open in January before sweeping 11th-seeded Li Na in the second round here. The Romanian is the bigger hitter and generally the bolder baseline player, who will take her cracks at any mid-court balls she sees. If her shots are landing, she can knock off her second straight seed.
Kirilenko brings better all-court skills to this match and would be wise to use them, mixing up the speeds rather than feeding Cirstea the pace she craves. She should also use the net skills that helped her reach the French Open doubles final. Neither woman has surpassed the third round here, so both should be inspired. Because of her superior power, you can argue this match is on Cirstea’s racquet, but if Kirilenko is consistent and uses her tools wisely, she can advance.
The Pick: Kirilenko in three sets