Day 3 looks to be an exciting day at the WTA Warsaw Open in Gdynia with five singles matches scheduled, all between opponents facing each other for the first time. There is a mix of WTA newcomers such as Weronika Falkowska and tour veterans Jamie Loeb and anna-Karolina Schmiedlova in action. In an event lacking big names, many players will be fighting to produce a big run that can put them on the right track for the rest of the season.
WTA Gdynia Day 3 Predictions
Varvara Gracheva vs Viktoria Kuzmova
Gracheva is enjoying a rare seed due to the weak draw, and looks to make the most of the tournament after an impressive third round performance at the French Open. She comes in losing three in a row but only one of those matches was on clay, her favorite surface. Kuzmova is also comfortable on clay, though her 2021 has been poor, scoring just three wins in seven matches on the surface, none of those against Top 100 players. Losing in the first round last week may have given Gracheva the rest she needed, and she will look to continue to build on a strong clay court summer and will come out fresh to win the match.
Prediction: Gracheva in 2
Jamie Loeb vs Maryna Zanevska
Two veteran players who have grinded throughout their careers on the WTA Tour meet in the last first-round match. Zanevska had a strong week last week in Lausanne, reaching the semifinal and scoring a big win over the talented Swiss Jil Teichmann in the first round. Loeb, like most Americans, is a talented hard court player but struggles on clay. She comes in losing four of her last five on the surface. Loeb will have the fitness advantage after losing first round last week while Zanevska played four matches. Zanevska should not have too many problems, as the match being saved for Wednesday gave her plenty of recovery time. Zanevska is good on the surface and Loeb could give her some trouble, but not enough to win the match.
Prediction: Zanevska in 2
Weronika Falkowska vs Tamara Korpatsch
Falkowska played an impressive first round match, beating Kateryna Bondarenko 6-0 6-2 in the first round after losing to her in the final round of qualifying. Korpatsch has had a tough year so far, compiling just a 5-10 record with many of those losses at the Futures level. This tournament is Falkovska’s first WTA main draw event of the year, but she has an impressive 29-6 record on the Futures circuit in 2021. Falkowska will look to impress in her chance to gain money and ranking points at a WTA event and the home crowd behind her will help her to victory.
Prediction: Falkowska in 3
Irina Maria Bara vs Kristina Kucova
The final match of the day pits two players who love playing on clay, both trying to fight to reach the top-100. The veteran Kucova will try to build on a decent clay court season after dominating Ursula Radwanska in the first round. Bara has had mixed results on the season, but recently made the semifinal at the Croatia Futures event and qualified for the main draw at Roland Garros. Fitness may come into play, with Bara playing for the fourth consecutive week and spending over two and a half hours on court in round one, while Kucova took a week off before coming to Gdynia. This match could go either way, but Kucova will have fresher legs and has played better against tougher competition, so she will be able to pull it out.
Prediction: Kucova in 3
Anna Bondar vs Anna Karolina Schmiedlova
Both players are coming off strong straight-set wins in the first round, though Schmiedlova has the more impressive win under her belt with a Top 100 victory over Anna Blinkova. Bondar is more comfortable on clay courts and has a good record on the year, but she has spent most of her time on the weaker ITF Futures circuit. The matchup will be fun with the more experienced and stronger player Schmiedlova looking to use her tools to win, while Bondar will try to take advantage of her game made for clay courts. It will be a tight match, but Schmiedlova is good enough on clay that she will prevail.
Prediction: Schmiedlova in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
