Wimbledon draw: Serena, Kerber projected for early clash; Barty's tough path, Swiatek opens vs. Hsieh

First quarter: Barty, Konta meeting projected; Andreescu, Cornet, Ostapenko, Kasatkina, Azarenka in same section

No.1 seed Ashleigh Barty, who has eschewed grass tune-ups this year in order to recover from the hip injury that saw her retire in the second round of Roland Garros, faces a tough first week. The Australian has an emotional opener against former World No.6 Carla Suárez Navarro, who is competing in her final Wimbledon after a successful battle against cancer over the past year.

In the third round, home hope and 2017 semifinalist Johanna Konta looms for Barty. The big-serving No.27 seed has quietly rounded into form on grass, winning her first title in four years - and first on home soil - in Nottingham two weeks ago.

Projected to meet Barty or Konta in the last 16 is freshly-crowned Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova, the No.14 seed, who opens against fast-rising 18-year-old Clara Tauson. Also lurking in Krejcikova's section is another richly talented 18-year-old, Marta Kostyuk.

The lower half of the top quarter is the most explosive of the draw. No.5 seed Bianca Andreescu faces a first-round rematch against Alizé Cornet, the wily Frenchwoman who won their meeting in Berlin one week ago.

Another recent reprise could determine Andreescu's third-round opponent: No.31 seed Daria Kasatkina and erstwhile junior rival Jelena Ostapenko are projected to meet in round two. Ostapenko won the latest edition of their rivalry this week in Eastbourne, but will need to survive 18-year-old Leylah Fernandez in the first round to set the rematch.

As if those barnburners weren't enough, whoever survives that section is projected to face either No.12 seed Victoria Azarenka or No.24 seed Anett Kontaveit in the last 16.

Second quarter: Serena, Kerber rematch looms; Gauff, Bencic await winner

Two of the five former Wimbledon champions in this year's draw, No.6 seed Serena Williams and No.25 seed Angelique Kerber, are projected to clash in the third round in what would be a rematch of the 2016 and 2018 finals.

Serena defeated Kerber to claim her seventh Wimbledon crown, and 22nd Grand Slam singles trophy, in 2016. Two years later, the German reversed the result to capture her third major title. Prior to a potential rematch this year, Serena opens against Aliaksandra Sasnovich, while Kerber starts against Nina Stojanovic.

Awaiting the winner in the fourth round could be either No.9 seed Belinda Bencic, fresh off a final run in Berlin, or No.20 seed Coco Gauff, returning to the scene of her 2019 star-making turn at SW19. Heading the second quarter and projected as a last-eight opponent is No.3 seed Elina Svitolina, who reached her maiden Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon 2019.

The Ukrainian first needs to navigate a section including No.19 seed and Australian Open semifinalist Karolina Muchova, and No.16 seed and Roland Garros runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Third quarter: Kvitova to open against Stephens; opportunity for Pegula, Kudermetova, Samsonova

No.10 seed Petra Kvitova is the only former champion in the third quarter, and has landed a popcorn first-round against 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens. An intriguing third round also looms for either Kvitova or Stephens against No.22 seed Jessica Pegula, who reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open and has continued to surge ever since.

Appropriately, one of the most dangerous unseeded opponents in the draw also lurks here. Liudmila Samsonova stunned the Berlin field a week ago with her no-holds-barred "boom boom" tennis, reminiscent at times of Kvitova's highest level, to win her first title. The Russian was rewarded with a wildcard into Wimbledon, and could meet Pegula in the second round.

The third quarter is headed by seeds who will be seeking to turn around subpar form. No.4 Sofia Kenin's season record is just 10-9, and danger looms for the American as early as the third round in the form of No.29 seed Veronika Kudermetova. The Russian's 2021 record, by contrast, is 26-14, including a maiden WTA title in Charleston.

No.8 Karolina Pliskova has suffered opening-round exits in both of her grass tune-ups this year, and starts against Roland Garros semifinalist Tamara Zidansek. The Czech will have to survive a section filled with grass-court experts to reach a projected last-16 clash against Kvitova. No.28 seed Alison Riske and Donna Vekic are both WTA titlists on grass, while Anastasia Potapova and Ann Li have both excelled at junior Wimbledon, winning the 2016 title and reaching the 2017 final respectively.

Fourth quarter: Swiatek opens against Hsieh; Sabalenka to navigate Alexandrova, Rybakina

No.7 seed Iga Swiatek, the 2020 Roland Garros champion, has been open recently about grass being a steep learning curve for her. Her education on the surface will need to take several leaps forward to advance past one of the trickiest unseeded opponents in the draw in round one, the idiosyncratic Hsieh Su-Wei and her array of spins.

Nor does it get any easier therein for the 20-year-old Pole. Vera Zvonareva, the 2010 runner-up, could await in the second round; in the third, No.26 seed Petra Martic has shown signs of resurgence alongside new coach Francesca Schiavone.

One of the most tantalising projected third-round clashes in the draw could determine Swiatek's last-16 opponent. No.11 seed Garbiñe Muguruza, the 2017 champion, is drawn to face No.21 seed Ons Jabeur, who became the first Arab woman to win a WTA title last week in Birmingham.

Before that, both need to navigate past unseeded former Grand Slam winners: Jabeur could face four-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in the second round, while a clash with two-time major titlist Svetlana Kuznetsova awaits Muguruza at the same stage.

Heading the fourth quarter is No.2 seed Aryna Sabalenka, bumped to her highest ever Grand Slam seeding after the withdrawal of defending champion Simona Halep due to the calf injury she sustained in Rome. The Belarusian, still seeking a first quarterfinal run at a major, has landed in a section filled with big servers. No.32 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova is her projected third-round opponent, while No.18 seed Elena Rybakina or No.15 seed Maria Sakkari await in the fourth round.

Click here to view the full Wimbledon 2021 draw at wimbledon.com.