The first round of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships starts on Monday, July 1. As to be expected, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer will be huge favorites on the men’s side. On the women’s side, Ashleigh Barty, Serena Williams, and Karolina Pliskova will offer underlay odds to win their first round matchups. Let’s look for possible upsets and value plays in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships. Check out four top 2019 Wimbledon round 1 odds, analysis, and free picks!
2019 Wimbledon Round 1 Odds, Predictions & Picks
Monday, July 1
Petra Martic vs Jennifer Brady
- 2019 Wimbledon Odds: TBA
Brady looked good in the first round of the Nature Valley Classic. She beat Lesia Tsurenko 6-3, 6-3. She ran into Ash Barty in the second round. Barty, the Wimbledon Championship’s 1-seed, dominated Brady 6-3, 6-1. Brady should play Petra Martic much tougher than she played against Barty.
Even though Brady will play better versus Martic than she did when facing Barty, Petra Martic is the play in this matchup. Martic beat Ekaterina Alexandrova, Margarita Gasparyan, and Jelena Ostapenko at the Nature Valley Classic in Birmingham. She lost to Julia Goerges in the semifinals.
Martic could have a deep run at Wimbledon this year. It starts on Monday by beating Jennifer Brady.
2019 Wimbledon Round 1 Pick: Petra Martic
Yulia Putintseva vs Naomi Osaka
- 2019 Wimbledon Odds: TBA
Naomi Osaka won the 2018 U.S. Open and the 2019 Australian Open. She was one of the favorites to win the French Open, but bowed out in the third round to Katerina Siniakova. Osaka followed that up with a win over Maria Sakkari in round one at the Nature Valley Classic.
What happened after that? Osaka bombed in the second round. Yulia Putintseva dominated Naomi 6-2, 6-3. Osaka can beat Putintseva on Monday. She should offer underlay odds, though. Not only that, but Putintseva made it to the Nature Valley Classic quarterfinals before losing to Julia Goerges. Putintseva is an attractive Wimbledon Round 1 underdog play.
2019 Wimbledon Round 1 Pick: Yulia Putintseva
Hubert Hurkacz vs Dusan Lajovic
- 2019 Wimbledon Odds: TBA
Lajovic figures to be the slight favorite in this. He made it all the way to Round 3 at the French Open. Wimbledon is played over grass, though, and Lajovic’s game isn’t as well-suited for grass as it is for clay. He lost 2-6, 3-6 to Sam Querrey in the second round of the Nature Valley International over grass.
Hubert Hurkacz won his first two round matches at the Nature Valley International. He beat Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 6-4, and Steve Johnson 6-3, 7-6 (8-6). Hurkacz could take down Lajovic on July 1. He’s the pick.
2019 Wimbledon Round 1 Pick: Hubert Hurkacz
Venus Williams vs Cori Gauff
- 2019 Wimbledon Odds: TBA
At the age of 39, Venus Williams is well past her prime as a tennis player. She still plays competitively. She beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-3, 6-4 in Round 1 of the Nature Valley Classic. She beat Qiang Wang 6-3, 6-2 in Round 2. She even hung with French Open winner Ash Barty losing 4-6, 3-6 in Round 3.
Williams’s opponent on Monday is 15-year-old Cori Gauff. We don’t know a lot about Gauff. She did win in Round 1 at the Miami Open in March, though. She could be a tennis sensation. This is an intriguing matchup where it makes sense to go with the young player. Who knows?
2019 Wimbledon Round 1 Pick: Cori Gauff
Tuesday, July 2
Frances Tiafoe vs Fabio Fognini
- 2019 Wimbledon Odds: TBA
On paper, 21-year-old American Frances Tiafoe appears hopelessly outmatched. He couldn’t make it out of round one at the Fever Tree Championships in London. Filip Krajinovic knocked him out of the first round at the French Open.
However, Fabio Fognini doesn’t play as well on grass. Everything is faster on grass as opposed to clay. That’s one of the reasons Rafael Nadal has only won two Wimbledon Championships compared to his 12 French Open Championships. Fognini prefers to play strong and powerful. That’s his game. He won his first two matches at Wimbledon last year, but he lost in Round 3.
If Tiafoe is at the top of his game, he could upset Fognini.
2019 Wimbledon Round 1 Pick: Frances Tiafoe
Dominic Thiem vs Sam Querrey
- 2019 Wimbledon Odds: TBA
Going against a French Open finalist in Round 1 at Wimbledon is taking a big leap, right? Like Fognini, Thiem doesn’t like grass as much as clay, though. At the 2018 Wimbledon Championships, Thiem retired in the first round after an 0-2 third set. He had lost the first set 4-6, and the second set 5-7. Who was he playing? Marcos Baghdatis.
Sam Querrey battles Thomas Fabbiano in the semifinals at the Nature Valley International in the UK on June 28. Querrey likes grass because the surface flatters his game. Querrey has a big shot of upsetting Thiem at nice odds on Monday.
2019 Wimbledon Round 1 Pick: Sam Querrey
