The Mallorca Open begins on Monday and will open with bright sunshine on the beautiful island with the competitors looking to hone their grass-court games in preparation for Wimbledon. An interesting field, which includes the returning Maria Sharapova, should make for an entertaining week of tennis. But who will advance on day one?
Sara Sorribes Tormo vs Johanna Larsson
Head-to-head: Sorribes Tormo 0-1 Larsson
The first match of the day on Pista Central will see Sorribes Tormo of Spain battle Sweden’s Johanna Larsson for a place in the main draw. The Spaniard, who recently claimed victories in the main draw in Paris and Nottingham, is the top seed in the qualifying and it’s hard not to be impressed with the changes she has made to her game of late. Larsson’s 2019, however, has featured far too many first-round exits for a player of her quality.
Even on the few occasions that Larsson has manufactured a win, it has been immediately followed by a second-round loss with the Swede yet to claim back-to-back wins this season. There just aren’t a lot of positive takeaways for Larsson these day and she doesn’t have a particularly good record on the grass, having failed to win a match at Wimbledon in eight previous attempts. As a result, it’s hard to see an outcome that doesn’t end with Sorribes Tormo finding herself in the main draw.
Prediction: Sorribes Tormo in two
Embed from Getty Images
Sofia Kenin vs Kirsten Flipkens
Head-to-head: Kenin 1-0 Flipkens
A confident Sofia Kenin is sitting inside the world’s top 30 and seems ready to take on anyone. The American’s game combines strong defense with careful strategy and she already has three top 10 wins to her name, including one in Mallorca after she beat then-world #6 Caroline Garcia last season. She’ll start her Mallorca Open run against the struggling Kirsten Flipkens. Flipkens had a reasonable showing on the grass in Hertogenbosch, reaching the quarterfinals, and made a memorable run to the last four at Wimbledon in 2013. But, the 33-year-old is not the player she was six years ago and her second serve has become a real weakness. Expect Kenin to punish it.
Prediction: Kenin in two
Embed from Getty Images
Monica Puig vs Ajla Tomljanovic
Head-to-head: Puig 0-2 Tomljanovic
The head-to-head certainly favours Tomljanovic, but Monica Puig is enjoying a resurgent 2019 likely thanks to the guidance of her coach, Kamau Murray. The Puerto Rican has found a level of consistency she’d been lacking and is playing a much smarter style of tennis. And as they haven’t played since 2017, don’t give too much credence to those past results. Puig is a different and much more capable player in 2019, one definitely capable of claiming the win.
Ajla Tomljanovic will surely look to use her powerful backhand to control the court. The Australian has played some fine tennis in 2019, posting the results to match, and she should feel confident. The fact that Puig hasn’t yet beaten her will bolster that confidence all the more. However, Tomljanovic is prone to some very inopportune double faults. To take the next step, Tomljanovic must improve from the line. Until she does so, opponents of Puig’s ability will have an obvious Achilles’ heel to target.
Prediction: Puig in three
Embed from Getty Images
Katerina Siniakova vs Alison Van Uytvanck
Head-to-head: Siniakova 1-1 Van Uytvanck
Katerina Siniakova has long been an accomplished doubles player, but she’s been finding some significant success in singles this year as well. Using her impressive defensive abilities and skilful net play, Siniakova was able to best world #1 Naomi Osaka at the French Open in the third round, an undeniably impressive win even if Osaka errors played a big role in the Czech’s victory, her fifth over top 10 opposition.
Playing in her third grass tournament of the year, Alison Van Uytvanck will be looking to better what was a disappointing week in Rosmalen, where she lost in the second round to qualifier Elena Rybakina. But the Belgian, who last year upset defending Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza at the All England Club, can certainly play on the grass. She should be able to make inroads into the Siniakova serve. But, she has struggled badly behind her own deal, and unless that changes unexpectedly, expect Siniakova to make her way into the Mallorca Open second round.
Prediction: Siniakova in three
Embed from Getty Images
Belinda Bencic vs Rebecca Peterson
Head-to-head: first meeting
Belinda Bencic looks to have a real chance of winning this tournament. Her game is well-suited to the grass and she has enjoyed a stellar 2019 so far. There seems to be little reason to expect that not to continue in Mallorca. Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson, in a marked contrast, has endured too many second-round defeats so far this year. And, with the greatest of due respect, most of the players she has lost to this year haven’t been Bencic’s equal. As a result, expect this to be a fairly routine start to the Mallorca Open for the Swiss third seed.
Prediction: Bencic in two
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
