There should be no shortage of entertaining action on day two at the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy in Russia’s second city, with a number of intriguing matches on the slate. As ever, we here at LWOT are offering our predictions across the board, including two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova’s clash with Jennifer Brady. But who will reach the second round in St Petersburg?
St Petersburg Ladies Trophy Day Two Predictions
Alison Van Uytvanck vs Kristina Mladenovic
Head-to-head: Van Uytvanck 2-0 Mladenovic
Kristina Mladenovic remains a dangerous player at her best, but the Frenchwoman is able to find that level increasingly rarely and she has made a less than inspired start to the season. A loss in the final round of qualifying at the Brisbane International was followed by a defeat in the first round at the Australian Open, leaving her in desperate need of some momentum. But she may find it hard to come by up against Alison Van Uytvanck.
The Belgian has won both of their previous matches in straight-sets, although this will be their first meeting since the 2015 French Open. And what does count in Mladenovic’s favour is her excellent record at the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy, where she won the first and thus far only title of her career in 2017 and reached the final a year later. She should be able to take confidence from her surroundings then, whilst Van Uytvanck is also struggling, having not yet won a match this year.
Prediction: Mladenovic in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Ajla Tomljanovic vs Marketa Vondrousova
Head-to-head: Vondrousova 1-0 Tomljanovic
Although this match is not set to take place on the main show court in St Petersburg, it is perhaps the most intriguing of the day. After reaching the French Open final and then missing the second half of the season in 2019, Vondrousova impressed on her return to action. She scored blistering wins over Tatjana Maria and Arina Rodionova in Adelaide, only to fall short against Ashleigh Barty in the quarterfinals before running into an inspired Svetlana Kuznetsova in the first round at Melbourne Park.
Ajla Tomljanovic, meanwhile, continues to threaten a breakout run, without ever quite delivering on her abundant promise. So far, she has lost in the second round at all three of the tournaments she has played in 2020, with some creditable wins being followed by disappointing defeats. Nonetheless, she certainly has the quality to really test Vondrousova here. But the Czech’s phenomenal returning should ultimately give her the edge in what promises to be an entertaining contest.
Prediction: Vondrousova in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Veronika Kudermetova vs Yulia Putintseva
Head-to-head: first meeting
Veronika Kudermetova has played some good tennis so far in 2020, notably reaching the semifinals in Hobart, but she has struggled with inconsistency. That is a feeling Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva may well be familiar with. But she does arrive at the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy in good form, having qualified successfully in both Brisbane and Adelaide before beating former-semifinalist Danielle Collins en route to the third round at the Australian Open.
She will, however, have to contend with the crowd in St Petersburg, who are sure to offer their vocal backing to the Russian Kudermetova. But Putintseva has played some of the best tennis of her career whilst representing Kazakhstan in fiery Fed Cup ties, which suggests she should have the mental strength to cope with the pressure of playing against a crowd favourite. And she has looked good enough so far this year to beat just about any opponent ranked outside the top ten.
Prediction: Putintseva in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Donna Vekic vs Kristie Ahn
Head-to-head: Vekic 1-0 Ahn
Kristie Ahn had a standout result at the US Open, reaching the round of 16, but the American has struggled since. Donna Vekic, meanwhile, has made a slightly indifferent start to her 2020 campaign, with her best result so far a quarterfinal showing at the Adelaide International. Nonetheless, she remains a fine competitor with a solid all-round game and she beat Ahn comfortably enough in their only previous meeting, which came last season in San Jose. Ahn did play well to come through the qualifying, but Vekic should have a point to prove in St Petersburg and if she plays anything like her best, it is hard to see Ahn making a real impact.
Prediction: Vekic in 2
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
