The opening day of the Championships delivered a record seven home singles triumphs as Watson prepares to face Clara Tauson of Denmark, ranked number 23 in the world, and also seeded 23.
The good news is that the 22-year-old Tauson has a terrible record on Wimbledon’s grass, having lost in the first round in 2021, 2022 and 2024. In fact she has yet to win a singles match at the All England Club.
However, Watson is not only used to grass, but she is used to Wimbledon.
This year she required a wild card to gain entry into the singles, having seen her world ranking slip to 148. Yet in the past Watson has reached the third round on three separate occasions – in 2012, 2015 and 2017 – while in 2022 she went as far as the fourth round.
Although Tauson will start the match as favourite due to her ranking, if Watson plays to her capabilities, then she has a good chance of causing an upset.
In addition, Watson will also be able to count on home support. She is, traditionally, one of the most popular British players on the tour, and her match will almost certainly attract a sizeable, patriotic crowd.
Watson and Tauson are scheduled first on court 12 with an 11am start.
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