It was a good day for Italian tennis on day one at the WTA Palermo Ladies Open, with Sara Errani scoring a rare main draw win and the talented teenager Elisabetta Cocciaretto upsetting Slovenia’s Polona Hercog. The action is set to continue on day two, with former-French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova, who faces fellow young gun Kaja Juvan, amongst those due to take to the court. But who will book their place in the second round?
WTA Palermo Ladies Open Day 2 Predictions
Petra Martic vs Alison Van Uytvanck
Head-to-head: Martic 1-0 Van Uytvanck
Top seed Petra Martic will be bidding to capture the second WTA singles title of her career. The Croatian made a slow start to 2020 after a career-best 2019, with her best result a run to the semifinals in Dubai. But she may well have benefitted from the enforced break to the season caused by the coronavirus pandemic and will also surely be glad to be back on the clay. Last year, she won her first WTA title on the clay courts of Istanbul and also made the quarterfinals at the French Open.
The top seed will, as a result, be the clear favourite in her opening match against the 26-year-old Alison Van Uytvanck. The Belgian has won all four of her career titles on hard courts and her high-risk high-reward approach has proven to be suited best to surfaces far quicker than the European clay. Expect a degree of rustiness from both players, but for the top seed’s clay-court prowess to give her the decisive edge in this one.
Prediction: Martic in 3
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Camila Giorgi vs Rebecca Peterson
Head-to-head: Giorgi 1-1 Peterson
Camila Giorgi was the first wildcard entrant announced at the WTA Palermo Ladies Open, with this set to be the Italian’s first clay-court match since 2018, after she skipped the 2019 clay-court season. She may take some time to find her feet, having elected not to play in any exhibition events whilst the regular season was suspended. Rebecca Peterson, meanwhile, arrives in Palermo at a career-high ranking of world #44 after winning two titles in 2019.
However, the Swede was not at her best in the early weeks of 2020 after struggling with illness and injury. But she will need to be back at her best up against the aggressive Giorgi, who will likely look to dictate proceedings from the baseline. Peterson, in contrast, typically takes a more measured approach, but that may come at the risk of giving Giorgi too much rhythm. If that does prove to be the case, expect the Italian to take full advantage.
Prediction: Giorgi in 2
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Fiona Ferro vs Nadia Podoroska
Head-to-head: Ferro 0-1 Podoroska
Fiona Ferro was unbeatable during the pandemic-enforced break. She went 10-0 across two weeks for a non-WTA exhibition event in France last month. The 23-year-old will doubtless be looking to use that impressive run of form when she takes to the court in Palermo. But she may not have things all her own way against Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska, who had been in excellent form on the ITF circuit in 2020 before the season was suspended.
Podoroska began the year with an incredible 14-match winning streak which included two titles. Then, on Saturday, she was the first player to win a match since tennis’ resumption from the coronavirus pandemic, with a victory in the first round of qualifying in Palermo. But having spent over five hours on court in the baking Sicilian heat in the last three days, she might struggle physically, with her serve having noticeably dropped off in her final-round win. Expect the fresher Ferro to capitalize.
Prediction: Ferro in 3
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Anett Kontaveit vs Patricia Maria Tig
Head-to-head: Kontaveit 1-1 Tig
Anett Kontaveit created a piece of history at the Australian Open in January when she became the first Estonian to reach the last eight in Melbourne. It was a run made all the more impressive by the fact that she was forced to bring her 2019 season to a premature end last September due to an energy-sapping illness. She will begin her WTA Palermo Ladies Open campaign against Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig in the first round.
Tig had a terrific run of form in the build up to the Australian Open, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Canberra ITF, but she failed to qualify for the year’s first Major. However, she rallied to reach an ITF final in Thailand and make the semifinals at the Hua Hin Championships. But Kontaveit will almost certainly provide a sterner test than most of the opposition Tig has faced of late. Expect the Estonian power-hitter to pick up a comfortable win.
Prediction: Kontaveit in 2
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