Lindsay Davenport “torn” on Naomi Osaka-Katerina Siniakova Wimbledon second round

Naomi Osaka’s 2025 Wimbledon draw ostensibly opened up when No. 5 seed Zheng Qinwen fell in the first round, but is the former world No. 1 in for an even bigger challenge against Zheng’s conqueror Katerina Siniakova?

“Siniakova is a very good grass-court player,” Lindsay Davenport said of the WTA doubles No. 1, who peaked at No. 27 in singles. “She hits the ball very flat and through the court. But this is a good section of the draw for Osaka if she can make her way through, but I’m split. I’m torn.”

Siniakova shocked Zheng for the second time in three years at the All England Club, improving to 3-1 overall against the reigning Olympic champion.

“When we were talking about unseeded players, I was looking at Katerina like, ‘She might actually pull this upset off [vs. Zheng Qinwen],” added Davenport, a former No. 1 and 1999 Wimbledon champion.

Osaka eased through her opening round against Australia’s Talia Gibson, but the four-time Grand Slam champion has never been past the third round at Wimbledon despite her big game.

“I don’t like Osaka’s chances in this match,” said Jim Courier, a fellow former No. 1. “She’s probably the favorite from the oddmaker’s standpoint, but boy, Siniakova and her style of play, I would like her in this match.”

“She robs you of time, goes hard up the middle quite a bit,” added Prakash Amritraj. “She forced a bunch of errors off that Zheng forehand. I think Osaka likes to dictate and grass sometimes rushes her a little bit too much. It’s probably a 50-50, but I might lean towards Siniakova.”

Osaka, who returned from maternity leave at the start of the 2024 season, won just one match in the lead-up to Wimbledon, taking out Olga Danilovic in a pair of tiebreakers at the Bad Homburg Open. She was last in the third round of Wimbledon in 2018, falling in the second round to Emma Navarro in 2024, and hasn’t been in the second week of a major tournament since winning the 2021 Australian Open.

Still Davenport was optimistic that Osaka could top that result—perhaps later this season if not at SW19.

“You’d think that something is coming for Osaka with how hard she’s been practicing. She looks fitter out there,” she said of Osaka, who has been working with coach Patrick Mouratoglou since last year.

Osaka and Siniakova will play on No. 2 Court on Wednesday.