Following a five-month hiatus, tour level tennis has returned. The Palermo Ladies Open kicked off its 31st edition on August 3. No sell-out crowds in Palermo – the coronavirus is limiting fans. It’s remarkable to see such high profile players entered in this small clay court tournament – a tournament whose entry limited the field to exclusively European players.
Wednesday will see Round of 16 action with players hoping to earn a quarterfinal berth. Here are predictions for who will secure their spot.
Palermo Ladies Open (Internazionali Femminili di Palermo) Day 3 Predictions
Ekaterina Alexandrova (8) vs Fiona Ferro
Head to head: First meeting
Competing in her first tournament since Doha in February, Ekaterina Alexandrova was challenged in her opening set against Kristina Mladenovic. However, the 25-year-old lefty all but erased that deficit giving up just a single game in the next two sets. Next up for the Russian is Frenchwoman Fiona Ferro. I doubt the Belgium born 23-year-old has the tools or the tempo to challenge Alexandrova’s power.
Prediction: Alexandrova in 2
Jasmine Paolini vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Head to head: First meeting
With more than 60 ranking spots separating these two, it’s doubtful Jasmine Paolini can win this one – even with the limited fans supporting her. Sure, a win over former Top 10 Daria Kasatkina is a confidence booster. But the three hour ordeal will surely take a toll.
Sasnovich played through qualifiers for her main draw berth. I think that’s only served to sharpen her skill as evidenced by her first round win over #5 seed Elise Mertens. I don’t expect a quick and commanding win. But, I do expect the Belarusian to see the quarterfinals.
Prediction: Sasnovich in 3
Elisabetta Cocciaretto vs Donna Vekic (6)
Head to head: First meeting
With Elisabetta Cocciaretto’s stellar clay court skill, it won’t be the easy win Donna Vekic garnered in her opener. The Italian will be buoyed by her unexpected win over Polona Hercog. While Cocciaretto will have the crowd squarely in her corner, she has few weapons to truly challenge #6 seed Donna Vekic. After a dominant opener, 6-1, 6-2 against Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus, Vekic should be poised for a deep run.
Prediction: Vekic in 2
Sara Errani vs Kristyna Pliskova
Head to head: First meeting
What looks like an easy day on the court for Kristyna Pliskova may turn out to be anything but that. The Czech’s spinning lefty serve and powerful groundstrokes would seem to be too much for the petite Italian Errani. And when you look at perhaps the most attackable serve in the game, you may want to dismiss Errani as a challenger. Yet, Sara Errani is one of the winningest clay courters on the WTA tour. Keeping the ball in play is a specialty – one in which she’ll wield against Pliskova’s movement deficits. Don’t expect a blowout here. Errani has the tactics to keep Pliskova off balance and out of sort. At the end of the day, though, Pliskova should be headed the quarterfinals. But, we do get to watch what should be a thrilling and contentious match between two veterans of the courts.
Prediction: Pliskova in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
