With a new edition of Wimbledon already done and dusted, the WTA tour switches back to clay for a fortnight. This week, we will be examining the Ladies Championships at Lausanne (Switzerland).
WTA Lausanne Monday Predictions
Mandy Minella vs Anastasia Potapova
Head to Head: first meeting
Both Minella and Potapova need a big result in Lausanne. The former reached the final last year, when the event was held in Gstaad. Hence, she is technically defending 180 points, almost a third of her total. A loss here would be devastating for the 33-year-old. The urgency isn’t as strong for Potapova, with a bright career ahead. While her overall results in 2019 have not been remarkable, the 18-year-old has shown glimpses of promise, such as her upset over Angelique Kerber at Roland Garros. She is too talented not to rise up the rankings soon. So far in Lausanne, the Russian cruised through qualifying.
Prediction: Potapova in 3
Ylenia In-Albon vs Daria Gavrilova
Head to Head: first meeting
Twelve months ago, Gavrilova was ranked No. 25. In today’s live ranking, she appears in the 92nd position. The Australian has compiled a pitiful 6-16 record in 2019. Her odds of advancing would be slim against average opposition, but she is facing a fellow struggler. In-Albon, a Swiss wild card, is arriving at Lausanne on a five-match losing skid, with the last two coming at the ITF $25,000 level.
Prediction: Gavrilova in 2
Embed from Getty Images
Caroline Garcia vs Antonia Lottner
Head to Head: first meeting
The second seed is nowhere near the player she was in the fall of 2017, when she won Wuhan (Premier 5) and Beijing (Premier Mandatory). Garcia is not reliable nowadays. For instance, she won the Nottingham title last month but then got dismantled by Shuai Zhang 6-4 6-0 in her Wimbledon opener. On paper, world No. 181 Lottner should be no menace. Yet, the German did upset Belinda Bencic on the Lugano clay back in April. Garcia should not underestimate her first round foe.
Prediction: Garcia in 2
Eugenie Bouchard vs Tamara Korpatsch
Head to Head: first meeting
Another match, another clash of struggling players. Bouchard, believe it or not given her woeful track record, is the eighth favorite on Swiss soil. The Canadian reached the semifinals last year in Gstaad. In turn, Korpatsch is 9-16 on the season. At 24 years of age, she has never broken into the WTA Top 100 and most of her points are coming off the books within the next three months. Pressure is on Bouchard. Will she live up to it?
Prediction: Bouchard in 2
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
