Wimbledon 2022: Anett Kontaveit vs Jule Niemeier preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Anett Kontaveit vs Jule Niemeier.
Date: June 29, 2022.
Tournament: Wimbledon 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 64).
Venue: London, United Kingdom.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: £40,350,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | Canada - TSN | UK - BBC & Eurosport | India - Star Sports.
Anett Kontaveit vs Jule Niemeier preview
World No. 3 Anett Kontaveit will lock horns with Germany's Jule Niemeier in the second round of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday.
Kontaveit tested positive for COVID-19 in April and its aftereffects hindered her during the clay swing, resulting in some early exits. She even lost in the first round of the French Open. Stating that she wasn't at her best, she didn't participate in any of the warm-up events on grass in the lead-up to Wimbledon.
Kontaveit took on Bernarda Pera in the first round. The Estonian had to save four break points in a marathon opening game of the match. Her confidence was further boosted by the gutsy service hold and she secured a break in the next game to lead 2-0.
Kontaveit extended her lead to 4-1, but Pera clawed her way back into the match by winning the next four games to go 5-4 up. The World No. 3 flipped the script to claim three consecutive games to clinch the set.
The second set was quite one-sided as Kontaveit raced to a 5-0 lead. Pera managed to hold serve after that, but the Estonian closed out the match with ease to win 7-5, 6-1.
🇪🇪 ANETT KONTAVEIT IS BACK!!!
She defeats Bernarda Pera 7-5 6-1
Playing her way back into form and fitness (recovering from Covid) as she picks up her first outdoor win since March (Indian Wells) https://t.co/jW7AUW8QZ2
Jule Niemeier's best result during this year's grass swing was a second-round showing at the Bad Homburg Open. She was up against Wang Xiyu in the first round of Wimbledon.
After both players started the match with a hold of serve, Niemeier won five straight games to bag the opening set. The German didn't take her foot off the pedal in the second set either. She broke her opponent's serve in the very first game and quickly jumped to a 2-0 lead.
Niemeier didn't let go of her advantage and stepped up to serve for the match at 5-4. After saving a couple of break points, she closed out the proceedings on her second match point to win 6-1, 6-4. This was her first win at Wimbledon as well as her maiden Grand Slam victory.
Anett Kontaveit vs Jule Niemeier head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between the duo, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Anett Kontaveit vs Jule Niemeier odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Anett Kontaveit vs Jule Niemeier prediction
Kontaveit seems to have recovered completely from her COVID-19 infection. She looked in fine shape physically in the first round against Pera, with her groundstrokes having more power and depth to them. Niemeier is also a big hitter and the duo will be engaged in a battle to overpower one another.
Both hit a similar number of winners in their first-round contests, with 23 for Kontaveit and 22 for Niemeier, but the German hit fewer unforced errors (17) than the World No. 3 (22). If she maintains this ratio, it could give her an edge against the Estonian.
Niemeier, however, has struggled to maintain her form and focus over the course of long matches. She put up a good fight against top players like Sloane Stephens, Daria Kasatkina and Belinda Bencic over the last few weeks, but lost in three sets. If her level drops mid-match once again, history could repeat itself.
Neimeier is a talented player on the rise and a win over the Estonian could be a breakthrough moment for her. But for now, it seems like Kontaveit's big-match experience is likely to get her over the finish line.
Pick: Anett Kontaveit to win in three sets.
Also Check Out :- Wimbledon Winners