Beatriz Haddad Maia enters Wimbledon 2026 unseeded despite holding the No. 18 spot in the WTA rankings. The tournament’s grass-specific seeding formula dropped her out of the 32-seed bracket, producing a draw that lines up Elise Mertens in the second round and Elena Rybakina — the 2022 champion — as the likely third-round opponent.

First round: Timofeeva

Haddad Maia opens on June 30 against Maria Timofeeva of Uzbekistan. Timofeeva is unseeded and carries no notable Grand Slam results. A clean win is the priority before a demanding week of matches accelerates.

Second round: Mertens [25]

Elise Mertens, seeded 25, is the projected second-round opponent. The 31-year-old Belgian holds more than 15 titles on the circuit and four Grand Slam doubles titles, and she is effective on any surface. A windy day at Church Road could amplify her consistency. The match will serve as the first meaningful benchmark of Haddad Maia’s campaign.

Third round: Rybakina [2]

A second-round win would set up a clash with No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina, one of the tournament favorites alongside Sabalenka and Świątek. Rybakina won Wimbledon in 2022 and possesses one of the most effective serves in women’s tennis on grass. Meeting the second seed as early as round three presents a significant obstacle for any player in the draw.

The seeding question

A ranking of 18th would ordinarily place a player comfortably inside Wimbledon’s 32-seed threshold. The tournament applies adjustments weighted toward grass-court results and the previous 12 months on hard courts — a formula that displaced Haddad Maia from the seeded group and directly explains the early run of seeded opponents.

Wimbledon begins June 30. Match times will be confirmed by the organization in the early hours of each match day.