Wimbledon’s top seeds discovered today who they will play in the opening round of the Grand Slam. As always, the draw has thrown up some intriguing matchups, ramping up the anticipation for the start of the tournament on Monday.

Ashleigh Barty, Serena Williams, Aryna Sabalenka, Elina Svitolina and Bianca Andreescu are among the favourites, while Simona Halep and Naomi Osaka are both absent. GiveMeSport Women runs through some of the juiciest opening fixtures for the top seeds, and assesses the projected quarter-final clashes.

Ashleigh Barty vs Carla Suárez Navarro

The world number one will play an emotional opening round match against inspirational cancer survivor Carla Suárez Navarro. The 32-year-old returned to the women’s circuit earlier this year after being diagnosed with early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma last September.

Despite her time away from the court, Suárez Navarro will be a tough opponent for Barty. The Spaniard is a former world number six and has reached the last-16 of Wimbledon three times.

Australia’s Barty is considered the favourite for the Grand Slam, although she has never progressed past the fourth round of Wimbledon. She has also been battling a hip injury recently, which could impact her chances of triumphing at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

Bianca Andreescu vs Alizé Cornet

Bianca Andreescu burst onto the scene when she won the US Open in 2019, but has since struggled to make her mark on the court due to injury. This year has been much of the same – the Canadian reached the final of the Miami Open but then had to withdraw from the Madrid and Strasbourg Open, and crashed out of Roland-Garros in the opening round.

The fifth seed could see the same happen again at Wimbledon. She has been drawn against Alizé Cornet of France, currently ranked 56th in the world. Cornet is yet to progress past the fourth round of a Grand Slam, but has six WTA titles to her name.

Serena Williams vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich

All eyes will be on Serena Williams as she aims to achieve a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title. The American has racked up some disappointing performances so far this year, but tennis fans know better than to write off Williams.

The 39-year-old is set to come up against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus, who is currently the world number 100. Sasnovich reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2018, but has failed to do any better since then. Could 2021 be her year?

Petra Kvitová vs Sloane Stephens

In one of the more enticing ties in the first round, 10th seed Petra Kvitová will meet world number 69 Sloane Stephens.

Kvitová has won Wimbledon twice, triumphing in 2011 and 2014. The Czech player thrives on grass, although her fitness may be an issue. The 31-year-old suffered a freak ankle injury at the French Open.

Stephens also has an impressive Grand Slam record. The American, who achieved a career-best world number three ranking in 2018, won the US Open the year beforehand. She also has Wimbledon pedigree, reaching the quarter-final in 2013.

Potential quarter-final matchups

With the draw complete, the potential journey of each top seed to the final can now be mapped. As a result, a number of fascinating quarter-final clashes have been projected.

Barty could come up against Andreescu, while third seed Svitolina may face a tough challenge in the shape of Williams.

Sabalenka is projected to meet last year’s French Open winner Iga Świątek, while fourth seed Sofia Kenin could play eighth seed Karolína Plíšková.

Wimbledon gets underway on Monday, and will run until July 10th. The full draw can be found here.