Outing for Jule Niemeier

Some have their sporting peak early in their tennis career. Others have yet to reach 30. Heather Watson, the British local hero, will play the match of her life on Sunday. She will meet the young German Jule Niemeier in the round of 16 at Wimbledon 2022, for whom, in her still young career, it is also the biggest match in her career so far.

The British players in particular often get the opportunity to play on the big courts at Church Road. So Jule Niemeier can also expect to play in front of a big crowd. But that also means that probably 95 per cent of the spectators will be rooting for her opponent and expressing their sympathy loudly.

But if the 22-year-old from Dortmund manages to play her game, she has a good chance of making it to the quarter-finals. If things go perfectly for the DTB, she might then meet Tatjana Maria. In general, we think a prediction of a victory for the German in this round of 16 match between Heather Watson and Jule Niemeier is quite realistic.

Among the betting providers tested, Jule Niemeier is even seen as the favourite in this match. The odds on a win for the German are slightly lower than for a triumph of her British opponent. However, we do not expect a quick victory. Therefore, it is conceivable to place a tip on more than 2.5 sets between Heather Watson and Jule Niemeier.

Heather Watson – Statistics & current form

Current world ranking: 121
Position in the seedings: unseeded

In January 2015, Heather Watson was ranked 38th in the WTA Rankings. The British player from the Channel Island of Guernsey has not quite made it to the top of the world. There are no ranking points at Wimbledon this year and so, despite great matches, she will not improve. But the 30-year-old probably won’t care about the world rankings at all these days.

Weak preparation – strong tournament

Never before has Heather Watson reached the last 16 of a Grand Slam tournament. In the run-up to the tournament, there was not much to suggest that things could go so well at Wimbledon 2022. In Nottingham she failed in the second round and then in Eastbourne she was a lucky loser and had to retire in the first round. At Church Road, however, things are going exceptionally well.

Although it has to be said that the British player benefited from the draw because her opponents were not from the top shelf. In the first round, Heather Watson beat Tamara Korpatsch from Germany in three sets. She followed that up with a commanding two-set win over China’s Wang Qiang, the final score 7-5, 6-4.

The biggest challenge in the third round was Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan, who is ranked 62nd. Again, the Englishwoman prevailed in two rounds 7:6 and 6:2. The 30-year-old will now hope that the crowd will even carry her into the quarter-finals. On balance, however, we are actually looking more at the odds for a German win between Heather Watson and Jule Niemeier.

Jule Niemeier – Statistics & current form

Current world ranking: 97
Position in the seedings: unseeded

Besides Tatjana Maria, Jule Niemeier is the last remaining German player in the main draw at Church Road. No matter what happens in the next few days. What the two ladies have shown so far has been outstanding tennis. After the French Open, the 20-year-old from Dortmund is playing in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for only the second time.

Greatest success for Jule Niemeier

And for that, she’s doing great. Jule Niemeier has learned from the close defeats in the last week, where often not much was missing to win. Although it is the biggest tournament of her career, she plays calmly and shows only little nervousness. Therefore, we think that in the round of 16 between Heather Watson and Jule Niemeier, one should be well off with a prediction of another success for the German.

In the first round at Church Road, Jule Niemeier took on China’s Wang Xiyu and won with aplomb 6-1, 6-4. She pulled off a feat in the second round when she came out on top against the number two in the WTA rankings, Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit, in two straight sets and then probably realised that a lot is possible these days at Wimbledon.

After such a big win, it is not easy to keep your concentration high against a supposedly weaker opponent. In the third round against the Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko, there was an unparalleled break festival. There were a total of 23 service losses. In the end, however, Jule Niemeier had the better nerves and won after just over two hours with 6:4, 3:6 and 6:3.

Heather Watson – Jule Niemeier Direct comparison / H2H balance

Eight years lie between Heather Watson and Jule Niemeier. So it’s not unusual that the two ladies haven’t crossed paths very often. It is rather astonishing that these two opponents have played each other at all, because the German is only just earning her first spurs on the WTA Tour.

However, there was a duel between these two players at the end of February. The British player won in three sets in the first round of the WTA tournament in Monterrey. Jule Niemeier was much more inexperienced at the time, but only had to admit defeat in the third round in a tiebreak. Since then, the player from Dortmund has made a great development.

Heather Watson – Jule Niemeier Tip

There are certainly a few points in favour of Heather Watson reaching a quarter-final at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time on Sunday. On the one hand, the Brit is much more experienced than her eight-year-younger opponent and on the other hand, the crowd, possibly on Centre Court, will whip her compatriot forward with a great atmosphere.

However, Jule Niemeier likes the big arenas and can also live well with the crowd being against her. She should also be fresher and probably has the greater playing qualities.

The pressure will be on the shoulders of the 30-year-old Brit, even though she is still a few places behind the German in the WTA rankings. The Dortmund player, on the other hand, has nothing at all to lose and this circumstance should inspire her. We think a 2:1 win for the young German is possible, but play the betting odds on an easy win for the 20-year-old in the match between Heather Watson and Jule Niemeier.