The last of the first round matches get completed on Day 2 of the Nature Valley Classic, and there looks to be another day of exciting matchups with some of the in-form players on the tour getting their campaigns underway. Who will prevail in our selected first round matchess of the day in Birmingham?
WTA Birmingham Day 2 Prediction
Harriet Dart vs Yulia Putintseva
Head to head: Never played
Harriet Dart is one of the British wild card entries this week and she will be eager to make good use of it as she comes up against the fiery Kazakh Yulia Putintseva. After a bit of an injury layoff due to a foot problem, Dart is now raring to go. She says she’s pain-free as she bids to make a bit of an impact during Birmingham this week. Dart’s experience on the main tour is rather limited, having only won three matches at tour-level in a main draw, but she’ll recognise this first round match as a real opportunity to gain some momentum and test her game against an experienced campaigner in Putintseva.
Putintseva perhaps plays her best tennis on a clay court. That’s where the largest chunk of wins in her career has come on. She’s someone that prides herself on her court coverage from the back of the court and has a fine double-handed backhand. However, her main flaws both come with a shaky, technically flawed forehand that can vary in length and placement to her detriment, and she is very underpowered from the service line at times. Grass is where the Kazakh can struggle because her defence is tested somewhat more, and a more aggressive ball-striker can sometimes take her out of the equation in a lot of the rallies.
Prediction: Dart in 3
Dayana Yastremska vs Julia Goerges
Head to head: Goerges leads 1-0
The next match to watch at the Nature Valley Classic is a match between experienced pro Julia Goerges and one of the rising stars, Dayana Yastremska. Yastremska is one of the leading teens on the WTA tour. She’s now playing close to a career-high ranking and already has three tour-level titles. At the age of just 19, she is just outside the World’s Top 30. She enjoys the big occasion, goes for her shots under extreme pressure, and isn’t afraid to get under the skin of her opponent in order to get on the winning side. The Ukrainian plays with low-percentage off the first return of serve onwards, which makes her a big threat on the grass, but there are moments where her serve disappears in matches and is susceptible to a high number of double faults on occasion.
Goerges, in contrast, has struggled somewhat to back up her career-best year on tour. Last year she won 46 matches in the whole season, her best on tour to date, with only two players achieving more wins (Karolina Pliskova and Petra Kvitova), but injury has really prevented her from winning on a regular basis this season. The good thing for Goerges is that she now can look forward to a grass court swing with a bit more optimism. The German historically has struggled for wins on the grass, with Wimbledon being her least successful major, but a surprise semi-final run at the event last year has changed things dramatically.
The key for Yastremska really is to try and get into the Goerges backhand side as quickly as possible and try to stay away from the dangerous forehand. The more she takes time away from the baseline the more success she’ll get, as Goerges is a player that needs the time to set up for her groundstrokes because of the long backswing in preparation. Goerges’ clay court season was affected by a right thigh issue, so it is still very much up in the air what sort of performance we are going to get from her. I just feel like Goerges’ greater service firepower and experience will see her through in this one, although it should be a close encounter.
Prediction: Goerges in 3
Venus Williams vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Head to head: Never played
In what will be her debut appearance in Birmingham, Venus Williams faces Belarus’ Aliaksandra Sasnovich. This is actually the first time since all the way back at Eastbourne in 2011 that the American will be playing a tuneup event in preparation for Wimbledon, and she’ll be looking to hit the ground running fast when she takes to the court.
Outside of the Brisbane quarterfinal run and the Sydney semifinal journey at the beginning of the year, the Belorussian’s form has dipped somewhat this season. She has only managed back-to-back wins at two tournaments since then. The problem really lies with her serve. In matches where she struggles to find any sort of consistency on the first serve, it leaves her vulnerable to getting overpowered off the ground. Williams perhaps goes into the match as the favourite because of her grass-court credentials and what she is capable of on a good day on this surface. She’s one of the more natural movers on this surface, and has always been one of the greatest players at timing her moments well when advancing into the forecourt on a grass court. I just feel she will have too much off the ground for Sasnovich on the day.
Prediction: Williams in 2
Ashleigh Barty vs Donna Vekic
Head to head: Never played
The reigning French Open champion Ashleigh Barty plays her first grass court match of the 2019 season, but will come up against the in-form Nottingham finalist Donna Vekic in her opening match.
Barty perhaps surprisingly went all the way in Paris, winning seven matches in a row to claim her maiden singles Grand Slam title, but her game is well-suited to the demands and the qualities of a grass court. Not only does the Australian play with a great deal of discipline from the baseline, but she transitions so well from the baseline to the forecourt, which is key on these quicker grass courts. She has great feel at the net, but also can up the tempo within each rally when she feels like it. Perhaps a good thing for Barty is that she’ll have to be ready for point one this week as Vekic is a player playing some stunning tennis this season, and the rankings demonstrate just that.
Vekic is a very different player now than what she was when she first made a name for herself on the tour in 2012. Now a much more versatile player that understands her strengths and weaknesses far better, she has gradually improved her game and her ranking each year. The Croatian is someone whose game translates well to the grass, and she’s always been someone that adapts well to the movement required on this surface, and some of her biggest wins and triumphs have come on the grass. Vekic had only just recently made the Nottingham final, losing a heartbreaking deciding set tiebreak to No.1 seed Caroline Garcia, so it will be interesting to see how she rebounds after such a difficult loss mentally.
Prediction: Barty in 2
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Disagree with our Birmingham Day 2 predictions? Have thoughts on any other Birmingham Day 2 matches? Feel free to leave your ideas in the comments.
