Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

WTA Cleveland Day 2 Predictions Including Lauren Davis vs Anett Kontaveit

Anett Kontaveit, second seed at the WTA Cleveland Championships, in action.

Although the draw is not as stocked with star power as most at this level, there should be plenty of entertaining action at the WTA Cleveland Championships. There are 13 intriguing first-round matches on the schedule on day two in Ohio and, as ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match, including Daria Kasatkina vs Kaja Juvan and Shelby Rogers vs Katerina Siniakova. But who will reach the second round?

WTA Cleveland Day 2 Predictions

Vera Zvonareva vs Ulrikke Eikeri

Head-to-head: first meeting

There is a considerable gulf in experience here. Ulrikke Eikeri has not yet broken into the world’s top 200 and her window for doing so may well be narrowing at 28. In contrast, Vera Zvonareva has been ranked as high as world #2. Though she was never able to get over the line at a Major and is not now the force she once was, the Russian remains a superbly gifted player and comes into this match the favourite. Not least because she is ranked 203 places above Eikeri.

That said, the Norwegian’s chances should not be discounted. She played well to come through the qualifying with wins Andreea Mitu and Nagi Hanatani and will no doubt be determined not to waste this opportunity to pick up a tour-level win. Nor does Zvonareva arrive in Cleveland in particularly sparkling form after losing in the first round of qualifying in Cincinnati. Still, she has played at a consistently higher level than Eikeri and won more often, even this late in her career. She should have too much for Eikeri here.

Prediction: Zvonareva in 2
Embed from Getty Images

Catherine Harrison vs Caroline Garcia

Head-to-head: first meeting

Catherine Harrison will be another player trying to overcome a big gap in experience when she steps on to court to face former-world #4 Caroline Garcia. The American earned this shot at Garcia by battling through the qualifying, beating her compatriot Tori Kinnard and Britain’s Tara Moore, and will have the advantage of greater familiarity with the conditions. This will be a significant step up in the quality of her opposition, however, one that she may not be ready to make.

This week has marked a relatively rare foray into singles for Harrison, who plays the majority of her tennis on the doubles court. With Garcia a fairly mercurial player, Harrison may be able to take advantage of an off-day from the Frenchwoman. But Garcia’s record on North American hard courts is solid and her recent form has reflected that. She came through the qualifying in both Montreal and Cincinnati, reaching the second round at the latter, and if she can maintain that level this should be comfortable.

Prediction: Garcia in 2
Embed from Getty Images

Martina Trevisan vs Zhang Shuai

Head-to-head: first meeting

Martina Trevisan showed that she can compete at the highest level by reaching the quarterfinals at the French Open as a qualifier last season. But the Italian has never really looked like putting a run of that sort together away from her preferred clay. She also does not come into this match with much preparation. She has been out of action since losing in the first round on the clay in Cluj, having not played in either Montreal or Cincinnati.

Indeed, she has not played on a hard court since beating Mihaela Buzarnescu in a Billie Jean King Cup tie in April. Zhang Shuai, in contrast, reached the quarterfinals in San Jose and came through the qualifying in Cincinnati, where she also won the doubles title playing with Sam Stosur. She also has a much better record on hard courts than Trevisan. Expect the Chinese to be the player to reach the second round at the WTA Cleveland Championships.

Prediction: Zhang in 2
Embed from Getty Images

Lauren Davis vs Anett Kontaveit

Head-to-head: Kontaveit 1-0 Davis

Anett Kontaveit comes into this match short of wins. The Estonian has played some fine tennis this season, most notably in reaching the final in Eastbourne, but she has also been inconsistent. Her cause has not been helped by some tough draws recently as she exited in the first round in Montreal and Cincinnati at the hands of Jessica Pegula and Ons Jabeur respectively. But the WTA Cleveland Championships should offer her a good chance to build up some rhythm.

Lauren Davis will no doubt be hoping to get some matches under her own belt ahead of her home Slam. But the American has struggled for wins against the best in the game in recent years, largely as a result of her struggles with injury. Kontaveit may not quite be one of the WTA Tour’s leading lights, but she is ranked inside the top 30 for a reason. If she plays her best tennis, or something close to it, expect her to have enough power to hit through Davis.

Prediction: Kontaveit in 3

Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images

Share:

More Posts

Send Us A Message