Wimbledon 2013: Five second round ladies matches to watch

Na Li of China plays a backhand during her Ladies’ Singles first round match against Michaella Krajicek of Netherlands on day two of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 25, 2013 in London, England. (Getty Images)

Simona Halep v Li Na (6) (Head-to-head: Halep lead 1-0)

Simona Halep is an opponent who has a winning head-to-head record over the sixth seed Chinese star Li Na. The Romanian has arrived at SW19 on the back of a fiery run. Back-to-back titles on clay and grass in two consecutive weeks and loads of self-belief – Halep surely now feels like she can give the big girls a run for their money. Finally it is a coming of age for her after being talked about for years. She is now on an 11-match winning streak after her three-setter triumph in the first round. But has the exertion been too much since she has been playing non-stop?

Li Na, on the other hand arrived after having played two matches at Eastbourne which should keep her fresh should the match turn into a gritty contest. The former Wimbledon quarter-finalist perhaps exhibited a glimpse of her surging confidence when she blasted 29 winners in the first round.

Prediction: Li Na wins in straight sets.

Madison Keys v Mona Barthel (30) (Head-to-head: Keys leads 1-0)

Madison Keys has been making heads turn with a string of impressive performances scattered over the year. She plays an explosive brand of tennis with thundering winners from the baseline and also likes to venture near the net. The second youngest player in the top 100 doesn’t like long points and grasscourts should be her best companion because of that. At Birmingham she validated her grasscourt prowess by reaching the quarter-finals this year and on the way, convincingly beat her Wimbledon second round opponent Mona Barthel.

The German, too, loves the faster courts and put up a sterling performance back in February at the Paris Indoors tournament. Since then she hasn’t been able to back it up owing to erratic performances. She showed tremendous gutsy play by staving off three match points in her first round match but Keys is probably too good a grasscourter to leave her with such chances.

Prediction: Keys wins in straight sets.

Petra Kvitova (8) v Yaroslava Shvedova (Head-to-head: Kvitova leads 1-0)

Petra Kvitova has made a name for perhaps being the most unpredictable player with an undeniable talent. She has free flowing groundstrokes, which are a beauty to watch on grass when they come alive. Her serve signals danger for her opponents. She reigned supreme on this verdant green turf couple of years back.

The 55-ranked Kazakh player Yaroslava Shvedova ideally shouldn’t be a match for her but it’s the Czech’s unpredictability which opens the door wide for her rivals. Besides, Shvedova has beautiful memories from last year when she took Serena Williams to a hard-fought third set before bowing out in the Round of 16. And before that, she had etched her name in history books by becoming the first player to win a set in a major without conceding a point.

Would that be a good enough inspiration to topple the eighth seed? I reckon Kvitova would still find a way out just like she did in her first round match.

Prediction: Kvitova wins in three sets.