10 contenders for the Wimbledon women’s singles title

The 126th edition of the women’s singles at Wimbledon starts on Monday and it promises to be another highly competitive tournament.

The last 10 grand slams have seen nine different winners, proving that the sport is more open than ever before.

Here, PA picks out 10 title contenders and ones to watch.

Ashleigh Barty

Naomi Osaka

The Japanese player is the only woman to have won more than one grand slam in the last 10, having been triumphant at the 2018 US Open and Australian Open this year. She is one of the hottest properties in the game and aged 21, with a big selection of weapons at her disposal, has many more years of success ahead of her.

Simona Halep

Angelique Kerber

Kerber, a losing finalist in 2016, went one better last year by lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish with a demolition of Serena Williams in the final. Results since then have been patchy, but she has a special relationship with the All England Club and because of her tenacity and superb defensive skills, she will be in the mix for a second title.

Serena Williams

Petra Kvitova

Karolina Pliskova

The wait for the big-hitting Czech to take the next step in her career and become a grand-slam champion seems to have been going on for an age. She has been at the top end of the rankings for the last few years and on her day few can match her sheer power from the baseline. She has never gone past the fourth round at Wimbledon, but has performed well elsewhere on grass, winning in Eastbourne this week.

Sloane Stephens

The American’s record at Wimbledon might be enough to keep her off the list, but following her return to the game from a foot injury in 2017 she has been performing at a different level. The 26-year-old is a US Open winner and a French Open runner-up and her athleticism and power mean she is among the best in the game. A 2013 quarter-final appearance is her best effort at SW19, but few would be surprised if she bettered that.

Amanda Anisimova

It is little surprise that the young American is getting compared to Anna Kournikova, but the 17-year-old is destined to achieve far more than the Russian did in the game. Her run to the semi-final of the French Open, defeating defending champion Halep on the way, shows she knows her way around the court and already has a WTA Tour title to her name.

Marketa Vondrousova