Maria Sakkari vs Anna Blinkova

Wimbledon 2025 – 1st Round Preview
Maria Sakkari vs Anna Blinkova

🧠 Form & Context

Maria Sakkari

• 📉 Slide from the top: Former World No. 3, now ranked No. 77. Sakkari hasn’t won consecutive matches in 2025 outside of Madrid, where she made the fourth round.
• ⏸️ Injury setback: Ended her 2024 season after the US Open and only started finding her feet again in spring, with a QF in Linz and some better performances in Madrid.
• 🎾 Wimbledon history: Despite an overall 6–2 record in Wimbledon 1R matches, she’s never gone past the third round—highlighting her limitations on grass.
• 🚨 Slam concerns: Has lost seven of her last nine Slam opening rounds, including an upset to World No. 138 Elsa Jacquemot at Roland Garros this year.

Anna Blinkova

• 📈 Steadier 2025: Ranked No. 78 and enjoying a more productive season than her opponent, with QFs in Linz, Austin, and most recently Eastbourne.
• 🌱 Grass experience: Eastbourne QF included wins over Bouzková and Lulu Sun—her third career grass QF after strong showings in Bad Homburg (2023, 2024).
• 🎾 Wimbledon form: 4–5 career record at Wimbledon, with a 3rd round run in 2023. Brings decent surface comfort compared to Sakkari’s track record.
• 🧠 Confidence edge: Blinkova has quietly built form on grass and may enter with more belief, even though Sakkari is still favored by ranking and name.

🔍 Match Breakdown

This matchup features two players with contrasting momentum. Sakkari is trying to rebuild form and ranking after a year of poor results and a ranking freefall, while Blinkova comes in with three quarterfinal runs in 2025 and a solid recent showing on grass.

Sakkari still has the physicality and baseline power to win matches on grass, but her recent Grand Slam results paint a worrying picture. Mental fragility and streaky play have crept into her game over the past year. Blinkova, by contrast, has been steady if unspectacular, and thrives in medium-paced, lower-error contests.

The key will be Sakkari’s serve and ability to dictate early in rallies. If she struggles on second serve or starts leaking unforced errors, Blinkova could extend rallies and frustrate her into another early Slam exit.

🔮 Prediction

While Sakkari’s name still carries weight, Blinkova enters with better grass form, more confidence, and less pressure. This feels like another upset waiting to happen—unless Sakkari rediscovers her controlled aggression quickly.

Prediction: Anna Blinkova in 3 sets. Expect momentum swings and a tight finish, but Blinkova’s current level and Wimbledon comfort should help her edge out the win.