Serena Williams is the No. 1 seed in the women’s side of the upcoming Wimbledon tennis tournament but she got a tough draw that includes consistent foe Maria Sharapova and the increasingly challenging Canadian Eugenie Bouchard.
Williams should be able to get through the first two rounds easily but could face Alize Cornet in the third round. Cornet beat Williams in Dubai.
The fourth round would likely bring a matchup with either Bouchard, who exploded at the French Open to reach the semifinals before falling to Sharapova, or Andrea Petkovic, who also made the French Open semifinals.
If Williams and Sharapova both make it to the quarterfinals, then the frequent competitiors would face each other once again.
If Williams makes it past that match, she would play Simona Halep in the semifinals (provided Halep makes it that far). Halep lost to Sharapova in the French Open final.
If Williams makes it past Halep, she'll play in the final. Her possible opponents include Li Na (seeded No. 2), Petra Kvitova (No. 6) and Victoria Azarenka (No. 8). She could also face Garbine Muguruza (No. 27), who knocked her out of the French Open in the second round.
Williams also got snubbed for the ceremonial duty of opening the tournament on Centre Court. The women’s spot was open because last year’s winner, Marion Bartoli, retired weeks after her Wimbledon title. Williams was an obvious replacement because she was the champion two years ago and the current top seed.
Tennis observers found it “very odd” that Williams wasn’t chosen. Instead, Sabine Lisicki, the finalist last year who has struggled since, was chosen.
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