The action begins in the scenic Slovenian seaside town of Portoroz. Amongst the matches on day one is the Croatian derby between Ana Konjuh and Donna Vekic, which should be the marquee match of the day. As always, we here at LWOT will be previewing every match for you. But who will come out on top?
WTA Portoroz Day 1 Predictions
Nikola Radisic vs Kristina Mladenovic
Former-world #10 Kristina Mladenovic is not having a great season, her 2021 record being 19-25 with the Australian Open 3rd round and a couple of WTA International quarterfinals as highlights of her season. Most recently, the 28-year-old lost in the first round of the US Open to Kamilla Rakhimova. Luckily for Mladenovic though, her first round open is 21-year-old wild card Nika Radisic. The world #578 is having a mediocre season, with her record standing at 15-16 and she has played most of her tennis a good few levels down from the WTA Tour. Mladenovic should not have too much trouble with Radisic.
Prediction: Mladenovic in 2
Embed from Getty Images
Bernarda Pera vs Fiona Ferro
Bernarda Pera had a rough time during the hard court season, going 1-4 since Montreal. The American prefers clay, which she showed when she qualified to reach the second round at both Madrid and Rome. Fiona Ferro came very close to upsetting the 7th seed Iga Swiatek in the second round of the US Open, though she did not manage to close it out and lost 6-0 in the third. The two have faced each other twice before, both matches on clay, Ferro winning the more recent of the two in 2019. Expect her to come out on top once again.
Prediction: Ferro in 2
Embed from Getty Images
Heather Watson vs Sorana Cirstea
Heather Watson is carrying a three-match losing streak, including a retirement from three weeks ago in Chicago. The 29-year-old reached the semifinals in Birmingham, but she has struggled for most of 2021. Facing her is the fourth seed Sorana Cirstea who won the title in Istanbul and made the final of Strasbourg this year. The Romanian, however, has not enjoyed great form recently and has a 3-1 losing record to Watson. Still, she should have just about enough to get past the Briton here.
Prediction: Cirstea in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Ana Konjuh vs Donna Vekic
Ana Konjuh, finally fully fit again, is enjoying a strong 37-19 season so far, making the final in Belgrade, semifinals in San Jose, and most recently qualifying for the US Open before losing to the finalist Leylah Fernandez. Facing her in the first round is her countrywoman and eighth seed Donna Vekic. Vekic has had a tougher season, missing much of the year with injury since a fourth-round run at the Australian Open. Interestingly enough, this will be the first meeting for the two despite being from the same country and of a similar age. But based on current form, Konjuh should have the edge.
Prediction: Konjuh in 2
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
