After unsuccessful starts at Madrid and Parma, Venus Williams will give herself one more shot at clay at the WTA Internationaux de Strasbourg. The 40-year-old is taking on recent Istanbul champion Sorana Cirstea. Who do you think will advance?
We also predict the day’s other four matches in a separate article.
WTA Strasbourg Day 2 Predictions
Caroline Garcia vs Zarina Diyas
Head-to-head: First meeting
This tournament is one of Caroline Garcia’s favorite hunting grounds. She finished runner-up here two years ago and clinched the title in 2016. Her performances can be extremely erratic but the potential is undoubtedly still there. She also had a very solid quarterfinal run at Parma last week and shouldn’t be losing in the first round to Zarina Diyas here. This match should be entirely on Garcia’s racket, especially on a surface the Kazakh had never been comfortable on.
Prediction: Garcia in 2
Anna Blinkova vs Jil Teichmann
Head-to-head: Blinkova 1-0
Anna Blinkova leads the head-to-head series with a comfortable win from Rome last year. She’ll be coming in with barely match rhythm this time though, not having competed since Miami. Jil Teichmann only got three matches in Madrid and Rome but her level was actually great, highlighted by a stunning comeback win against Elina Svitolina. With Blinkova’s form a massive question mark, Teichmann has to be perceived as the favorite here.
Prediction: Teichmann in 3
Maryna Zanevska vs Yuliya Hatouka
Head-to-head: First meeting
Yulia Hatouka has been one of the brightest stars of the 2021 ITF circuit, reaching five finals in a row to start the year. The 21-year-old Belarusian has slowed down considerably since trying herself out at tour-level but this matchup between two qualifiers could be the right place to start. Maryna Zanevska is a seasoned pro but she probably doesn’t have quite the ceiling that Hatouka has. Perhaps this could be a great main tour debut for the talented youngster.
Prediction: Hatouka in 3
Venus Williams vs Sorana Cirstea
Head-to-head: Williams 3-0
Sorana Cirstea has never taken a set off the living legend Venus Williams, and this will probably be her best shot at it. In fact, they’ve never played on clay, which is the Romanian’s favorite surface–and one where her opponent’s limited movement will get exposed the most. The 40-year-old is still capable of playing at a decent level but doing so against an opponent that just clinched a WTA title last month is likely out of her current capabilities.
Prediction: Cirstea in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
