The WTA Tour lands in Mexico for the first time in 2022 for the Abierto Akron Zapopan in Guadalajara. The second seeded Madison Keys headlines the action on Day 1 when she come up against France’s Harmony Tan. There are multiple interesting matchups on Monday, let’s take a look at them all. We also predict the day’s four other matches in a separate article.
WTA Guadalajara Day 1 Predictions
Anastasia Potapova vs Lesia Tsurenko
H2H: First meeting.
Lesia Tsurenko has a history of playing well in Mexico. Two of the Ukrainian’s four WTA singles titles were won in Acapulco, so she’s got some good memories in this part of the world. I like Tsurenko in this matchup. Granted the 32-year-old is beyond her prime but she’s still a solid player in these conditions. Potapova is wildly erratic, Tsurenko will enjoy this type of matchup where she can utilize her strong movement and defensive skills. Expect Tsurenko to draw enough errors from her opponent to get the win here.
Prediction: Tsurenko in 3
Qiang Wang vs Lauren Davis
H2H: 1-1.
It’s been a real struggle for Wang over the last couple of years. Wang finally showed signs of her former self at the Australian Open last month when she reached the third round. Wang defeated Coco Gauff and Alison Van Uytvanck before pushing eventual semifinalist Madison Keys all the way to a final set tiebreaker. The former world #12 will be hoping to build on that result in Guadalajara this week.
A run to the quarterfinals via qualifying in Adelaide was a decent start to the year for Davis, but her overall results of late have been typically mediocre. The slower grippy hard courts in Guadalajara should suit the American’s game. However, she’s unlikely to enjoy the pressure Wang will put on her. If Wang executes her game, she will be too solid in this matchup.
Prediction: Wang in 3
Qinwen Zheng vs Anna Kalinskaya
H2H: First meeting.
Qinwen Zheng is currently sitting at a career high ranking of #77. The 19-year-old has rocketed up the rankings in recent times, now she is beginning to make her mark at the WTA tour level. Zheng had an impressive Australian summer, reaching the semifinals at the Melbourne 250 event before successfully qualifying for the Australian Open and reaching the second round. Zheng then went down to the ITF level in the USA and won the tournament without dropping a set. The Chinese player clearly brings a heap of confidence into this tournament and should be strong enough to get the better of Kalinskaya in her Guadalajara opener.
Prediction: Zheng in 3
Madison Keys vs Harmony Tan
H2H: First meeting.
Madison Keys returns to the tour for the first time since a fantastic Australian summer. The American won 10 consecutive matches, winning her 6th WTA singles title in Adelaide before reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open where she was beaten by eventual champion Ash Barty in straight sets. Keys claimed notable wins over Svitolina, Gauff, Kenin, Badosa and Krejcikova during her winning run in Australia. It will be interesting to see if Keys can maintain that high level throughout the season. Guadalajara looks like a good opportunity for Keys to consolidate that form.
Keys shouldn’t have too many problems getting off to a strong start when she faces Harmony Tan. The Frenchwoman hasn’t played a match since an unfortunate ending in Melbourne where she retired injured against Elina Svitolina in the second round. Tan is regularly outclassed at this level and will need to rely on a heap of errors from Keys to even be competitive in this match.
Prediction: Keys in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
