Brace yourselves, British tennis fans, for we have a day packed with local stars scheduled to take the courts. From Katie Boulter vs Harriet Dart to Jack Draper vs Cameron Norrie, court 1 surely comprises the marquee matches. In fact, the all-England clash between Boulter and Dart could very well open the gates for a British woman to conquer Wimbledon.

Boulter enters Wimbledon in red-hot form. After reigning supreme in San Diego and defending her Nottingham title, she has managed to earn a Wimbledon seed. However, she bumps into a dangerous floater Harriet Dart in round 2, who is no novice on grass courts.

Katie Boulter vs Harriet Dart: Wimbledon Round 1 Preview

Boulter owns a strong 8-2 record for the grass court swing. She has registered some big wins over Karolina Pliskova, Jelena Ostapenko, and Emma Raducanu. In fact, her swing started with a close win over Harriet Dart. Her improved serving numbers and more control on groundstrokes have also helped her improve her hard court results.

Dart, on the other hand, holds a 5-4 win/loss record on the surface for the year, including a win over Sofia Kenin. Despite underwhelming numbers for the season, her comprehensive first-round victory here was an indication of a jump in her level. Her rival Boulter, for instance, had to fight hard for a 7-6,7-5 victory, but Dart only took 16 games to close out the opening round.

Katie Boulter vs Harriet Dart: Head-to-Head

Boulter has dominated the matchup with a 5-1 head-to-head lead. The first three meetings came before 2018, while the last three took place in the previous 52 weeks. The results of those matches are as follows:

• Nottingham, 2023, QF (G): Boulter won 6-3, 7-5
• WTA Paris 125, 2024, R32 (C): Boulter won 6-0, 6-4
• Nottingham, 2024, R32 (G): Boulter won 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-5

Boulter has shown a clear edge in their matchup with consecutive victories on grass courts. However, their last meeting did go down the wire.

Prediction:

Dart’s serving numbers looked underwhelming during the grass swing. She only managed to cross a 5% ace rate once, against Kenin. Despite winning 70% service points in the first round Wimbledon win, she could only record one ace. It’s unlikely that she’ll win free points off serve against Boulter.

Boulter’s close victory against a seasoned grass courter in Tatjana Maria was highly impressive. She won 78% first serve points while hitting 3 aces. However, her 7 double faults and just a 50% success rate at the net showed discerning signs. Her movement looked questionable, and despite the win, she might be on upset alert today.

Dart came close to beating Boulter in Nottingham and, despite recent statistics, she looked much more convincing than Boulter in the first round. She can exploit Boulter’s movement and test her forehand with a slice barrage, similar to Jasmine Paolini’s game plan against her in Eastbourne.