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WTA Brisbane Day 1 Predictions Including Alison Riske vs Karolina Muchova

WTA Elite Trophy Karolina Muchova

High-quality tennis returns in numbers at WTA Brisbane. We’re predicting as many matches as we can for you. In addition to this set of predictions, we also have another set.

Yulia Putintseva vs Anastasia Potapova

Head-to-Head Record: First meeting

This is a final round qualifying match so both players have form at the venue to study.

Putintseva achieved a hard-fought victory over Madison Brengle in the previous round, having already defeated Harriet Dart on Saturday. The Kazakh may have been surprised or disappointed that she had to qualify for the main draw here. Her ranking of 34 would usually be enough to enter WTA Brisbane in the first round proper.

It will be a tough task for the 24-year-old though as Anastasia Potapova is one of the top prospects on the WTA Tour. Still only 18 and ranked inside the top 100 she ranks alongside the likes of Caty McNally, Marta Kostyuk and Whitney Osugiwe as potential breakthrough stars in 2020. She defeated world #80 Victorija Golubic in the previous round of qualifying, having defeated Australian wildcard Destanee Aiava earlier.

Putintseva will be another level up from defeating Golubic for Potapova though. The Kazakh has long been on the cusp of top-class without ever really challenging for the top titles. Potapova will produce impressive, powerful winners but Putintseva has an excellent record when a moderate favourite and she may have too many shots over three sets for her inexperienced opponent.
Prediction: Putintseva in 3

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Jennifer Brady vs Storm Sanders

Head-to-Head Record: Brady 1-0 Sanders

The Australian public will be delighted to see Storm Sanders back to full fitness and playing well again. The 25-year-old didn’t play a professional tennis match in 2018 or 2019 after injuries to several parts of her body took their toll. Since returning though she was won 14 of her 16 matches, won an ITF $60k tournament and has beaten Heather Watson and Varvara Flink (world #100 and #125 respectively) to reach this stage at WTA Brisbane.

Jennifer Brady has, of course, been around top-level tennis for a long time now and is no stranger to injury herself. The American is a tough competitor and certainly won’t be swayed by sentiment or feel pressured by a partizan Australian crowd. Also, Brady has lost only five games across four sets in this qualifying run so is in red hot form.

With all respect to Watson and Flink, Jennifer Brady on top form is another level for Sanders to face. The Aussie is clearly full of confidence and excited about her level following her return to tennis but it may be difficult to translate that into forehands and backhands to beat Brady. Take the American to defeat the Aussie in straight sets.
Prediction: Brady in 2

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Ajla Tomljanovic vs Priscilla Hon

Head-to-Head Record: Hon 1-0 Tomljanovic

Both Aussies received wildcards into this tournament and have drawn each other. Both will view this as a real opportunity to get some good ranking points early in the season and force themsleves over key ranking borderlines. Tomljanovic is just outside the top 50 and Hon would break into the top 100 for the first time with a couple of wins in Brisbane.

The high point of Hon’s 2019 season was undoubtedly her effort at the French Open. After defeating a former top 50, Timea Babos, in the first round, she gave Madison Keys a massive scare, winning the second set in a very close encounter. The 21-year-old also made a run to the quarterfinals of WTA Seoul, beating Tomljanovic on the way.

Tomljanovic ended the 2019 season in quite poor form, winning only three of her last ten matches. However, she has a much better record than Hon at WTA Brisbane. This may be because Hon is much younger and has developed more recently.

This will be a fairly tense match as both players will want to grasp this opportunity. Priscilla Hon may go in with more confidence and belief that her career is progressing. She already has shown that she can deal with the powerful Tomljanovic serve, breaking her on several occasions in their match in Seoul. Take the younger Aussie to progress into the second round to meet Karolina Pliskova.
Prediction: Hon in 3

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Alison Riske vs Karolina Muchova

Head-to-Head Record: Riske 1-1 Muchova

The two previous matches between this pair both took place in 2019 and both went to three sets. The attacking game of Riske and the technical game of Muchova have blended well to create entertaining and tight matches so far.

Muchova ended the 2019 season on excellent form. The Czech’s maiden WTA title came when beating Magda Linette in Seoul in September. Muchova now resides at a career-high ranking of 21 and actually had a very impressive 73% win record in the whole of 2019.

Riske also sits at a career-high ranking, however. Indeed the American made an impressive run to the final of Wuhan the week after Muchova won her title in Seoul. She also won two titles in the calendar year, albeit in back-to-back weeks on her favoured grass surface.

The last match that Riske played in 2019 was actually against Karolina Muchova in the Zhuhai WTA Championships event. That one went to Muchova in three sets. It wouldn’t be a surprise if that scoreline repeated itself here. Muchova is possibly the more talented player, with a wider variety of shots in her arsenal. Riske is certainly determined but as long as both players are at a good level Muchova could just edge it.

Prediction: Muchova in 3

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