The 2019 Upper Austria Ladies Linz Open starts tomorrow, but the qualifying draw will feature some stellar matches. The young prodigy Cori Gauff will take on Liudmila Samsonova and Laura Siegemund will face Kaja Juvan. But who will prevail?
Linz Open Qualifying Day One Predictions
Tereza Martincova vs Danka Kovinic
Head-to-head: Martincova 1-0 Kovinic
The head-to-head win won’t be worth much here as it came over seven years ago. However, the conditions will. Tereza Martincova plays very well inside the court and has a bigger game than Danka Kovinic, which should help her to triumph in indoor conditions. She’s got great variety in her game which always helps on slicker surfaces. They’ve both been getting mixed results lately but the Czech was particularly impressive losing in two tight sets to Karolina Pliskova at the US Open and should use that confidence to her advantage.
Prediction: Martincova in 3
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Laura Siegemund vs Kaja Juvan
Head-to-head: first meeting
The German Siegemund has also been through some very tough moments, tearing a knee ligament in the peak of her career. She’s an excellent clay court player, but might struggle in the indoor conditions at the Linz Open. Siegemund played a couple of decent matches on the Asian swing and should be in much better match rhythm than Juvan, who last played in July in Bucharest. The Slovenian took a set off Serena Williams at Wimbledon and is not to be underestimated, but she might be a bit too rusty to win here.
Prediction: Siegemund in 3
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Arantxa Rus vs Tamara Korpatsch
Head-to-head: Rus 2-0 Korpatsch
Another matchup where the surface should do the difference. Both have had most success all over the years on clay, but it’s Arantxa Rus who played a 125k final indoors and comfortably took their two previous meetings in exactly the same conditions. The Dutch has a more complex game and should be able to use the quickness of the surface to her advantage.
Prediction: Rus in 2
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Cori Gauff vs Liudmila Samsonova
Head-to-head: first meeting
The 15-year-old Gauff has managed to amaze at both Wimbledon and the US Open and now she’ll fight at a much smaller stage. It’s hard to keep oneself sane when talking about the American’s potential but this match really should be on her performance. We haven’t seen Gauff playing indoors yet, but the type of mental preparation and maturity she has shown throughout the year should make her superior to Samsonova in most aspects.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
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