The Romanian player Simona Halep, no 19 WTA and former world leader, will take on the Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova (82 WTA), in the first round of the Wimbledon tournament. Halep, winner of the Wimbledon trophy in 2019, is seed no. 16th this year in the competition. Another Romanian player, Sorana Cîrstea, 32 WTA and seed no. 21, plays against Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia (53 WTA). Gabriela Ruse (55 WTA) has the most difficult match in the All England Club first round, against the American Coco Gauff, no. 12 in the world. Irina Begu (43 WTA) is facing Ekaterine Gorgodze of Georgia (112 WTA), in the same round, while Ana Bogdan (109 WTA) plays against Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska (74 WTA), and Irina Bara (121 WTA) against Chloe Paquet of France (101 WTA). In turn, Mihaela Buzărnescu (126 WTA) will play against Natasja Schunk of Germany (156 WTA). This year’s Wimbledon tournament has record-large amounts in prize money (over GBP 40 million) but the WTA and ATP announced they will not assign any points, after the British organisers decided to bar Russian and Belarusian players from taking part, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
