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Match details
Fixture: (1) Ashleigh Barty vs Anna Blinkova
Date: 1 July 2021
Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: London, Great Britain
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Grass
Prize money: £17,066,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Ashleigh Barty vs Anna Blinkova preview
Top seed Ashleigh Barty will continue her bid for a maiden Wimbledon title when she takes on World No. 89 Anna Blinkova on Thursday.
A left hip injury sustained during the French Open interrupted what was until then a stellar season for the World No. 1. Having won three titles, the Aussie was one of the top favorites to go all the way at the claycourt Major.
The injury was a huge blow for the 25-year-old, who couldn't participate in any Wimbledon warm-up events as she battled to return to full fitness.
However, the layoff hasn't affected the Australian too much. Barring a minor hiccup while serving for the match in the second set of her first-round clash against Carla Suarez Navarro, Barty showed no signs of rust, easing to a 6-1, 6-7(1), 6-1 win.
Barty's next opponent, 22-year-old Anna Blinkova, was the runner-up in the 2015 Wimbledon Girls' Singles event. However, her transition to the senior circuit hasn't been as smooth as she would have liked.
The Russian's highest ranking on the WTA Tour is a modest 54. Currently perched at 89th, she has a disappointing 9-13 win-loss record for the season, with her best performance coming at a WTA 125 claycourt event in Bol, Croatia, where she made the semifinals.
On grass, Blinkova won a solitary match before arriving at Wimbledon, where she beat doubles specialist Timea Babos 6-2, 6-2 in the first round.
Ashleigh Barty vs Anna Blinkova head-to-head
Ashleigh Barty and Anna Blinkova have never crossed paths on the tour before, so their head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Ashleigh Barty vs Anna Blinkova prediction
Anna Blinkova has a massive task on her hands. The Russian needs to make drastic improvements on her serve if she is to have any chance of causing an upset.
She served a solitary ace and committed as many as eight double faults against Babos in the first round. A repeat of that could spell disaster for Blinkova against a player of Barty's caliber.
Although Blinkova struggled on serve against Babos, she looked solid on return, converting four out of seven break points. Her backhand, in particular, worked well and she will look to dictate rallies with that shot once again against Barty. That could, however, prove to be a difficult task.
The Aussie loves playing on grass and her mix of slices and dropshots are highly effective on the surface, especially against big-hitters.
Prediction: Ashleigh Barty to win in straight sets.
