The 126th edition of the women’s singles at Wimbledon is upon us 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, Press Association Sport picks out 10 title contenders and ones to watch.
Ashleigh Barty
Naomi Osaka
Words can’t describe this feeling. pic.twitter.com/MUMtR5stV1
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@Naomi_Osaka_) January 26, 2019
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
The moment @AngeliqueKerber won #Wimbledon for the first time ?#TakeOnHistory pic.twitter.com/GsySRMNXaq
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 14, 2018
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
#ItTakesWTA @WTA pic.twitter.com/BR2dB0QA6y
— Karolina Pliskova (@KaPliskova) May 13, 2019
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.
Sloane Stephens
Amanda Anisimova
Getting ready for grass pic.twitter.com/QDdg7u3mIu
— Amanda Anisimova (@AnisimovaAmanda) June 14, 2019
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.