Wimbledon 2019: Predicting Men and Women's Finals Before Week 2

Wimbledon 2019 has followed a predictable formula, with many of the big names making comfortable progress so far. It means the men's bracket is still front-loaded with Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Two of those three will contest the final, while the women's bracket is so far being dominated by Ashleigh Barty. The top seed has been impressive, but Barty will be wary about the presence of Serena Williams and Simona Halep still in the draw.

If there is a chance for something different, it will come in the WTA side of the draw, where Johanna Konta has already produced an upset, notably beating Sloane Stephens in straight sets on Saturday.

Meanwhile, 15-year-old Coco Gauff has captured the imagination following wins over Venus Williams, Magdalena Rybarikova and Polona Hercog.

Nadal on Course to Meet Djokovic in Final

Nadal is already easing through the gears in London. The Spaniard has been irrepressible during wins over Yuichi Sugita, Nick Kyrgios and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Granted Kyrgios gave Nadal a few more problems, but the 33-year-old combined nerve with his familiar ability to boss the pace and manufacture a range of shots.

Of those shots, the Nadal forehand is still a weapon opponents should fear:

Nadal's second week at Wimbledon will see him face off against Joao Sousa in the fourth round, before a potential match with Sam Querrey and Tennys Sandgrey. It's not the toughest draw for a player who seems to get better the more years pass.

Things might get tricky if Nadal reaches the semi-final, where he may find Federer waiting.

If there is one player who can stifle Nadal at SW19 it's Djokovic. The Serb hasn't always been comfortable through three rounds, but he is still in the draw and knows what it takes to dictate play at the business end of this tournament.

Djokovic's four wins at Wimbledon should give him confidence about being able to overcome Nadal, the way he did for his first London title back in 2011.

Barty and Halep Set for Final

Assuming she gets past Alison Riske, Barty will likely need to overcome Williams and maybe even Konta to reach the final. Fortunately, the Australian is in the form to overcome any challenge.

Said form includes Barty making quick work of her matches, the way she did against Harriet Dart on Saturday:

Barty repeated the 6-1 score in her second set against Dart, and the 23-year-old is yet to drop a set at this year's tournament. A powerful service game and some relentless move skills are helping Barty overpower opponents early.

She's also become more comfortable with tennis at this level:

Barty's growing confidence at Grand Slam level is well timed considering Williams is no longer quite the force she once was. There won't be many better chances for Barty to negotiate a tough draw.

A difficult path to the final isn't necessarily ahead of Halep. The seventh seed needs to get past Gauff first, and faces a potential semi-final against Karolina Pliskova or Elina Svitolina.

It's a run Halep is talented enough to manage. She's feeling bullish about her performances after emphatically swatting Victoria Azarenka aside in the third round, telling the WTA official website: "I'm very satisfied. I think it was my best match this year. I played really well. I felt actually very confident."

Halep hasn't always coped well on the Wimbledon grass, failing to reach the last four since 2014. Yet this looks like the year the Romanian can finally go one better.