The WTA’s tennis hiatus is over. The St Petersburg Ladies Trophy will be the First WTA tournament to take place since the end of the Australian Open. It is also the only WTA tournament this week so it is little surprise that the draw is deep and enticing. Maria Sakkari is the top seed here in Russia. Joining her as favourites for the title are Anett Kontaveit and Elena Rybakina. Will one of them lift the trophy here? Will we see a dark horse come from nowhere as so often happens in the WTA? We try and answer those questions in our WTA St Petersburg Ladies Trophy daily predictions starting with day one (Monday).
WTA St Petersburg Ladies Trophy Day 1 Predictions
Camila Giorgi vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Head-to-head: 2 – 0 Giorgi
This should be one heck of a match to watch if you’re a fan of spectacular winners. Neither of these ladies is shy when it comes to going for their shots. In fact, pushing things to far is more often than not the issue when it comes to Camila Giorgi and Ekaterina Alexandrova. The Russian has a better serve which should give her an advantage here. However, if that serve is misfiring she could be in for a long day because Giorgi is ultra aggressive on the return. Whoever can best keep their radar in check here should emerge victorious, but I’m expecting three sets of mostly spectacular tennis before we find out who that person is. In the end I think Alexandrova’s serve wins her enough free points to edge it here.
Prediction: Alexandrova in 3
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Alize Cornet vs Elise Mertens
Head-to-head: 2 – 1 Cornet
Alize Cornet had a dream run in Melbourne, making her first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal on her 63rd attempt. Elise Mertens likewise enjoyed a good campaign at the Australian Open, making the fourth round before losing to eventual finalist Danielle Collins. Mertens is probably the better player of the two over the course of a year, but Cornet is capable of spells of brilliance and she is in such a purple patch now. When her confidence is high the French star is dangerous and it certainly won’t have been higher than it is right now. A favourable head-to-head and superior form make me lean towards Cornet here in what should be another tight match.
Prediction: Cornet in 3
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Belinda Bencic vs Veronika Kudermetova
Head-to-head: 3 – 3
These two certainly aren’t strangers to one another. six meetings in the last four years – split evenly at three wins each – suggests we are in for a tight match here. However, I’m expecting Belinda Bencic to find her best tennis at some point this year and I think it may well be here. In 2019 the Swiss looked set to become one of the dominant players in the women’s game. Injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to her charge, but I still think she is an elite talent in the women’s game. She is also a previous finalist here and enjoys playing in Russia. Veronica Kudermetova is a fine player and will be a tough challenge. However, I don’t think she can live with Bencic at her best. I think we will see that level from the Swiss star here and I expect her to go deep if we do.
Prediction: Bencic in 2
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Jil Teichmann vs Anett Kontaveit
Head-to-head: 2 – 0 Kontaveit
Relatively easy call to make here really. Teichmann showed last year that she is no slouch on hard courts. However, Anett Kontaveit is arguably the best hard court player not named Ashleigh Barty at the moment. She won 12 matches on the bounce on this surface towards the end of last year. The Estonian also claimed two titles and a place at the WTA Finals on the back of that run. Kontaveit is yet to prove she can replicate that form on a consistent basis this year. Nonetheless, the Estonian is among the best in the world when she plays at that level. In fact, anything anywhere near it should be enough here as Teichmann has played just three matches this year and has lost two of them. Kontaveit has also won both of their previous matches. Significantly, both of those matches were on hard courts, recent and Kontaveit didn’t drop a set in either. So, all indicators are that Kontaveit wins again here and I tend to agree.
Prediction: Kontaveit in 2
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