The rest of the European clay court swing continues this week. The Hungarian Grand Prix is one three WTA tournaments underway this week and features some of the better players on the tour. That being said the field is weaker than expected at most tour level events given it’s proximity to Wimbledon. Nonetheless, upsets and scintillating tennis are always a possibility. As ever, we take a look at what to expect from each round of action our WTA Hungarian Grand Prix Day 1 predictions.
WTA Hungarian Grand Prix Day 1 Predictions
Viktoriya Tomova vs Paula Ormaechea
This should be a relatively easy win for Tomova. Ormaechea is a relative unknown on the tour and is still rank outside the top 150 in the women’s game. Tomova has shown real promise in recent months and may well be due a breakthrough into the top 100 given her current ranking of #109. Ormaechea is an argentine so she will be experienced on clay, but I like Tomova to keep up her good form so far this year and secure the win in this one.
Prediction: Tomova in 2
Barbara Haas vs Kateryna Kozlova
Tough call here. Kozlova is the better player but Haas is more comfortable on clay. In truth ranking and historic performances matter. If we follow that guideline Kozlova wins comfortably here. Haas is a decent clay court player, but Kozlova has more to offer so expect the Ukrainian to advance here.
Prediction: Kozlova in 3
Yulia Putintseva vs Ekaterina Gorgodze
Putintseva should walk this. She is by far the better player and has a much higher ceiling. Gorgodze has shown great fighting spirit on the tour in recent months. However, Putintseva is a top 30 player for a reason. She runs deep in tournaments like this and is usually a safe bet for at least a quarterfinal. With that in mind, I’m backing the Kazakh to walk away with a straightforward win herte.
Prediction: Putintseva in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
