Naomi Osaka vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

🎾 Wimbledon 2025 – 3rd Round Preview

Naomi Osaka vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

🧠 Form & Context

Naomi Osaka
🔙 Back in business: Into the 3rd round at Wimbledon for the first time since 2018, tying her career-best showing.
🎯 Gaining rhythm: Took out Siniaková in straights after a nervy opener vs Gibson.
🌿 Grass curve: Still not her strongest surface (24–19 career record), but she's adapting fast this season.
🏆 2025 spark: Won her first ever clay title (Saint-Malo 125), made the Auckland final, and has tallied 20 wins across all surfaces.
🧠 Mental fortitude tested: Survived multiple three-setters this year, showing growing resilience in key moments.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
💪 Grit mode on: Battled through two tough matches, coming from behind against both Tomljanović and Krueger.
🔥 Grass swing revival: Reached the Eastbourne semifinals last week—her first such result since January.
🎾 Solid Wimbledon resume: QF run in 2016, and this is her fourth time in the 3rd round.
⚠️ Late-career consistency issues: Had just two match wins in four months before turning it around on grass.
🔄 Experience edge: Over 500 career wins—knows how to scrap and adjust deep in Slams.

🔍 Match Breakdown

Osaka enters with the bigger artillery—dominant first serve, aggressive returning, and heavy forehands. Pavlyuchenkova, by contrast, brings variety, tactical savvy, and superior experience on grass, especially coming off a strong Eastbourne showing. The Russian’s best chance lies in dragging Osaka into extended rallies, mixing pace, and attacking the net when Osaka’s shots land shorter. For Osaka, maintaining a high first-serve percentage and keeping points short will be key. Her recent movement and confidence under pressure have been major upgrades this season. While their previous meetings were all on hard courts—with Osaka leading 3–1—this is the first time they clash on grass. Most recently, Osaka dominated 6-2, 6-2 at the 2021 Australian Open.

🔮 Prediction

Expect a clash of styles. If Pavlyuchenkova imposes her rhythm early, this could turn into a tight three-set battle. But Osaka’s sharper ball-striking, improved mental game, and hunger for a deep Slam run point to her sneaking through in straights—though not without stress. Prediction: Naomi Osaka in 2 tight sets.