Since retiring in the Miami final, Bianca Andreescu has not shown up on court again. The 2021 WTA Internationaux de Strasbourg will be her only warm-up for the French Open, meaning there’s a lot of pressure on the Canadian to do well here. In the opening round, she’s going to face a qualifier, Andrea Lazaro Garcia. Who do you think will come out on top?
We also predict the day’s other four matches in a separate article.
WTA Strasbourg Day 2 Predictions
Barbora Krejcikova vs Oceane Dodin
Head-to-head: First meeting
It’s been fascinating to follow the transformation of Barbora Krejcikova from an absolutely elite doubles specialist to a very competitive singles player too. The Czech was the only one to threaten eventual champion Iga Swiatek in Rome, failing to convert two match points in their third-round encounter. She should treat this match with caution though as Oceane Dodin qualified with two solid wins and can be a very dangerous player on her day.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 3
Yulia Putintseva vs Rebecca Peterson
Head-to-head: Peterson 2-1
The two traded their clay-court meetings and it will actually be Rebecca Peterson coming into the week with more momentum. The Swede is coming off two straight quarterfinal appearances at ITF Saint-Malo and the Tour-level event in Belgrade. Yulia Putintseva has been rather uninspiring recently, and there is really little to separate the two. This clearly isn’t an easy matchup for the Kazakh and Peterson will not be looking at herself as the underdog here.
Prediction: Peterson in 3
Misaki Doi vs Shuai Zhang
Head-to-head: Zhang 4-1
Shuai Zhang has a very healthy head-to-head lead here. However, she also hasn’t won a match since last year’s Roland Garros. Who would have thought that the Chinese would reach the fourth round there and go on to lose her next nine matches? One could say that last week was a bit of an improvement though with an extremely tight loss to Maria Camila Osorio Serrano. If she’s to snap her streak anytime soon, this is the match to do it.
Prediction: Zhang in 3
Bianca Andreescu vs Andrea Lazaro Garcia
Head-to-head: First meeting
Bianca Andreescu hasn’t played since retiring in the Miami final and if she is to show up on court at Strasbourg, this will be her sole warm-up for Roland Garros. Could she beat her Monday’s opponent on the proverbial one leg? Possibly, as Andrea Lazaro Garcia hasn’t shown anything on the ITF circuit this year (one quarterfinal appearance) and hasn’t been that impressive in the qualifying stage either. It’s impossible to tell how fit Andreescu is, but if she decides she’s good to go, then she shouldn’t experience issues here.
Prediction: Andreescu in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
