Well, get ready for an intriguing matchup between Italy's Jasmine Paolini and Belgium's Greet Minnen. You can almost taste the tension in the air like a bitter espresso shot. Paolini, the svelte 7th seed, walks in favored and honestly, it's clear as day why. She's been crushing it lately, hammering Sorribes Tormo and Boulter with two-set love, and let's not forget her great performance against Mertens. Sure, she stumbled a tad against Kasatkina, but I do believe in giving credit where credit's due.
Now let's eyeball Greet Minnen. Unseeded and presumably the underdog in this race, Minnen’s had a mixed salad of outcomes squaring off against recent opponents. She had Watson and Uchijima caught flat-footed, winning in straight sets but tasted defeat against Ostapenko and Samsonova. And hey, I will say this – a win against Vekić does add a touch of intrigue.
With Paolini being the favorite and her tennis game being sharper than most cutlery sets, I would anticipate a straight sets victory on her end, but you know tennis. More unpredictable than the weather in London. If Minnen decides to put up a fight and the stars do somehow align for her, I can see this stretching to a third set.
So, to wrap this up with a nice little bow:
Albert’s Prediction: Paolini in straight sets