To help prepare for the Australian Open, there are multiple WTA and ATP tournaments at the Melbourne Summer Set this year. Normal warmups might be a bit tough because of the pandemic, but there are plenty of top players who will compete in Melbourne. In fact, the WTA has two Summer Set tournaments in Melbourne this week. Who do you think will win on Tuesday? As always, we predict all the matches–with the other four in a separate article.
WTA Melbourne Summer Set 1 Day 1 Predictions
Petra Martic vs Maryna Zanevska
Martic has actually reached the fourth round of all four Major tournaments, which might be surprising, since her breakout has gone under the radar. She has yet to achieve the form that looked like it would win the 2019 French Open–before she lost a heartbreaking match to Marketa Vondrousova in the quarterfinals–again, but she hasn’t been playing terribly either. She should have enough to win this match.
Prediction: Martic in 2
Andrea Petkovic vs Liudmilla Samsonova
Samsonova had a really strong 2021 and looks to continue that form into 2022. Petkovic is a solid player at times, though she is nowhere near the form that got her to the Top 10 over a decade ago.
Prediction: Samsonova in 2
Jaqueline Cristian vs Kaia Kanepi
Cristian had a strong close to 2021, while Kanepi has been hit or miss for much of her career. The Estonian was more consistent early in her career (she was actually ranked in the Top 20 for a while, ten years ago), but she still shows good form from time to time. She definitely has a higher top level than Cristian, though it seems likely that Cristian will be in better form for this match.
Prediction: Cristian in 3
Viktorija Golubic vs Lauren Davis
Lauren Davis is a talented player but she so often seems to have hit a limit. The breakthrough potential is always there, but she hasn’t quite found it yet. Some fans are worried perhaps she never will. Golubic, meanwhile, really started to impress last year. Look for the Swiss to continue that into 2022.
Prediction: Golubic in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
