Kerber vs Liu 05/07/2018

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Angelique Kerber vs Claire Liu Tennis Prediction

Angelique Kerber began her Wimbledon campaign by defeating a fellow former finalist Vera Zvonareva in straight sets, 7-5 6-3. The German, who won 73% on her first serve (32/44) and dispatched 20 winners (to Zvonareva’s 16), faced a decent challenge from the former #2, getting broken thrice in the match.
This is Kerber’s 33rd win of the season, behind Kvitova (38) and Halep (36). The two-time slam champion is 4-0 against outside top 100 players in 2018. She owns a 24-4 career record at slam second round matches, including 6-1 at Wimbledon, with that sole loss coming against Kanepi in 2013.
Claire Liu secures her first slam main draw win by defeating former #20 Ana Konjuh in an hour and 59 minutes, 6-2 6-7 6-3. This fortnight marks her second main draw appearance at a major, having qualified to the 2017 US Open (l. Duan in the first round).
Liu, the 2017 Wimbledon Junior champion, was the youngest of six teenagers in the starting field. After the completion of three days of play, she is the lowest-ranked player left in the draw, ranked at #237. The American’s best win-by-rank came against #69 Magda Linette, her sole top 100 win.
This will be the former #1’s first encounter with Liu. Needless to say, the German, who was this tournament’s finalist just two years ago (l. S. Williams), will be the overwhelming favorite in this match. A loss today would be her worst since 2017 Toronto, when she fell to the future US Open champion, #934 Sloane Stephens.