Wimbledon ladies’ 1st round: Serena, Sharapova, Watson star on day one

Bencic also features on day one, and the 18-year-old has been somewhat of a revelation this grass court season, as she reached the final of the Topshelf Open in the Netherlands, before winning the AEGON International at Eastbourne.

She will be looking to emulate her Swiss compatriot Martina Hingis, who also won Wimbledon as a teenager way back in 1997, and is a highly tempting 40/1 shout to do so.

Bencic (4/6 for victory) faces Tsvetana Pironkova (11/10), who was a semi-finalist here in 2010, up first, and is 6/4 to triumph in straight sets.

Elsewhere on day one, British number one Watson (5/6) faces a potentially tricky tie against seeded Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia (also 5/6).

Luckily for Guernsey-born Watson, she has beaten Garcia before 6-1 6-1 in their only meeting, and is 2/1 to win in straight sets once more.

Other names to look out for include Lucie Safarova (1/3), who faces a difficult encounter with Alison Riske (9/4), former champion Venus Williams (2/9), in her match against compatriot Madison Brengle, and Ana Ivanovic (1/16), who takes on Xu Yifan (7/1).

The likes of Daniela Hantuchova, Carla Suarez Navarro, Kirsten Flipkens, Victoria Azarenka, Andrea Petkovic, Sam Stosur, Sloane Stephens and Kaia Kanepi also all feature on day one.

Meanwhile, wildcard Brit Naomi Broady is the odds-on favourite to beat Colombian opponent Mariana Duque (6/5) in the first round.