With the start of Roland Garros now just days away, the field at the WTA Parma Open should not lack motivation. Day three will see a number of star names take to the court in Emilia-Romagna and, as always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Sloane Stephens vs Daria Kasatkina. But who will advance and who will slip to the frustration of defeat?
WTA Parma Open Day 3 Predictions
Varvara Gracheva vs Petra Martic
Head-to-head: Martic 2-0 Gracheva
Petra Martic has endured some struggles over the past 18 months, but the Croatian looked to be back to something approaching her best last week in Rome, reaching the semifinals to snap a run of four first-round exits. There is no doubting her pedigree on the clay, with Martic winning her only title in Istanbul on the red dirt in 2019 as well as reaching the last eight at the French Open later that season. She will now surely be eager to continue building momentum before heading to Paris.
Fortunately for Martic, she has been handed what looks like a winnable first-round match against Varvara Gracheva. The Russian looks to be a player with a bright future and she has played some good tennis so far in 2021, most notably in reaching the semifinals in Saint-Malo, but she has lost both of her previous meetings with Martic in straight sets, including last season on the clay in Prague. There seems to be little reason to expect a different outcome in Parma.
Prediction: Martic in 2
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Ana Bogdan vs Sara Errani
Head-to-head: first meeting
Sara Errani’s best days are unquestionably behind her, but the Italian – who was once ranked as high as world #5 – has played some good tennis at times in 2021. Her excellent sliced backhand and soft hands in the forecourt can make her a dangerous opponent on the red clay, and a former-French Open finalist should never be underestimated. However, she does appear to have lost half-a-step in recent seasons, something she has struggled to account for.
Ana Bogdan, meanwhile, has failed to make an impact on the biggest stage of late, but has played well away from the glare of the spotlight, reaching the quarterfinals in Istanbul and coming through the qualifying in Madrid. This looks to have the makings of a close contest, with long rallies likely to be the order of the day. But Bogdan is that much faster around the court and the Romanian can also inject more pace off the ground than Errani.
Prediction: Bogdan in 3
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Serena Williams vs Katerina Siniakova
Head-to-head: first meeting
After losing her opener in Rome to Nadia Podoroska on her return to action, Serena Williams took the eminently sensible option to enter the draw at the WTA Parma Open in search of match sharpness. So far so good for the great American, who opened her campaign with an assured 6-2 6-3 win over home hope Lisa Pigato. Katerina Siniakova, who beat Danish young gun Clara Tauson 6-1 6-3 in the first round, will likely offer rather more resistance. The Czech has reached the fourth round at the French Open in the past after all. But if Williams is at her best, or indeed anything close to it, she should be able to overpower Siniakova.
Prediction: Williams in 2
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Anna Karolina Schmiedlova vs Amanda Anismova
Head-to-head: Anisimova 1-0 Schmiedlova
After a disappointing start to her clay-court campaign which saw her lose in the first round in Bogota and crash out of the qualifying in Madrid, Anna Karolina Schmiedlova has found some form in recent weeks. The Slovakian, who has been ranked as high as 26th in the world, made the quarterfinals in Saint-Malo and has looked sharp so far at the WTA Parma Open. She started her campaign in the qualifying, beating Bianca Turati and Rebecca Marino to reach the main draw, where she stunned Venus Williams in the first round from a set down.
However, she will likely need to maintain that level at the very least if she is to reach the quarterfinals. Amanda Anisimova has not been at her best this season, but she made an excellent start to her campaign in Emilia-Romagna by thrashing recent Saint-Malo runner-up Jasmine Paolini for the loss of only three games. She also won her only previous match against Schmiedlova at a canter. This may be more competitive, but expect Anisimova to have the edge once again.
Prediction: Anisimova in 2
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