No. 22 seed Donna Vekic will play the Australian World No. 77 Kimberly Birrell in the first round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Monday, June 30. Here’s our Donna Vekic vs Kimberly Birrell prediction. This preview will also include a Donna Vekic vs Kimberly Birrell pick.

Donna Vekic vs Kimberly Birrell Preview
Donna Vekic is the 22nd seed at Wimbledon. The Croat delivered her best Grand Slam result in this tournament last season when she made the semis. Vekic had a match point but was on the wrong end of a scoreline against Jasmine Paolini in what turned out to be the longest Wimbledon women’s semifinal in history.

Vekic will return looking to rekindle those memories and perhaps go one better this time. This will be her 11th main draw appearance, with her debut going all the way back to 2013 when she was only 17. But Vekic is not in good form. She has played in three warm-up tournaments on grass, losing in the first round twice in Berlin and Queen’s. She notched her first win on the surface this swing in Bad Homburg, where she beat Diana Shnaider. However, she lost in the subsequent round to Linda Noskova in three sets.

Kimberly Birrell is the world No. 77. This will be the Australian’s first-ever main draw appearance at Wimbledon. Birrell has lost in the qualifying in three previous visits. But because she’s got a Top 100 ranking, Birrell was certain of getting a main draw spot this week.

Birrell, who is 27, has won three Grand Slam matches in her career. All three have been in her home Slam at the Australian Open. She has a 33-29 lifetime record on grass. This month, Birrell has competed in four grass-court tournaments before Wimbledon. She started her campaign at the Birmingham 125K where she reached the quarterfinals. She lost in the round of 16 in Den Bosch and Eastbourne, and the first round in Nottingham.

Donna Vekic vs Kimberly Birrell Head-To-Head
Vekic and Birrell have met twice on the WTA level. The head-to-head is tied at 1-1, with both meetings contested on hard courts. This will be their first grass-court meeting.

Donna Vekic vs Kimberly Birrell Prediction
Birrell has never played in the Wimbledon main draw, and at 27, this will be her first taste of settling in the opening week of the tournament. It’s uncharted waters for the Aussie. Vekic will fancy her chances of progressing unscathed. It is a massive fortnight for the Croat, who is defending semifinal points. The surface should widen the gap between these two players, who are already occupying opposite ends of the Top 100. Give me Vekic for a straightforward win.

Nur Said's Pick: Donna Vekic in straight sets