First round action continues on day 2 of the Abierto GNP Seguros in Monterrey. The main attractions this week in Monterrey come out to play on Tuesday. The third seeded Madison Keys faces a potentially tricky opponent in the form of Petra Martic. Will the American be too strong, or can Martic pull off the upset? We also have predictions for matches featuring Sloane Stephens.
WTA Monterrey Day 2 Predictions
Sara Errani vs Marie Bouzkova
H2H: First meeting.
Marie Bouzkova arrives in Monterrey full of confidence after a run to her third career final in Guadalajara last week. The Czech came up short, losing to Sloane Stephens in three sets to remain without a title to her name. It was a great week for Bouzkova who claimed notable straight set wins over Sara Sorribes Tormo and Qiang Wang.
Sara Errani did well to qualify for the main draw in Monterrey. The Italian defeated Caty McNally 6-4 6-7 6-1 and Lucia Bronzetti 6-3 6-1 to secure her spot in the main draw. The good news ends there for Errani, main draw wins on the hard courts have been extremely rare for the 34-year-old over the last few years.
Bouzkova is the obvious pick in this matchup. However, it might not be a simple win for the Czech. Errani is no pushover, she may have limited game, but she doesn’t stop fighting. Bouzkova has little time to recover from her week in Guadalajara, that could be an issue in a matchup that should feature a lot of extended rallies. I’ll assume Bouzkova is up for this one, in that case she will be far too strong in all aspects.
Prediction Bouzkova in 2
Qinwen Zheng vs Lucia Bronzetti
H2H: First meeting.
Lucia Bronzetti was smashed by Sara Errani in the final round of qualifying in Monterrey but received a spot in the main draw as a lucky loser. That kind of form doesn’t bode well for the Italian. Zheng is a player on the rise, a dangerous opponent in these conditions. I’ll side with the Chinese player here.
Prediction: Q. Zheng in 2
Qiang Wang vs Dalma Galfi
H2H: First meeting.
Qiang Wang continued her recent resurgence with a semifinal showing in Guadalajara last week. The week ultimately ended in disappointment for Wang as she lost to Marie Bouzkova in straight sets, a performance she will be keen to make amends for this week in Monterrey.
Dalma Galfi barely raised a sweat as she progressed through the qualifying draw in Monterrey dropping just four games in the process. The Hungarian currently sits at a career high ranking just outside the top 100 but is likely to be outclassed in her Monterrey main draw debut.
Galfi has suffered losses to Indy de Vroome, Yvonne Cavallé Reimers, Andrea Lazaro Garcia and Caroline Dolehide this year on hard courts. Those results suggest she has little to no chance to defeating a resurgent Wang in these conditions.
Prediction: Wang in 2
Madison Keys vs Petra Martic
H2H: 1-1.
Madison Keys arrives in Monterrey fresh from a humiliating opening round loss to Harmony Tan in Guadalajara last week. It was a strange performance from Keys given how well she played during the Australian summer where she won a title in Adelaide and made the semifinals of the Australian Open.
Peta Martic has had a nightmare time on tour over the last nine months, so much so that her ranking is now in danger of slipping outside the top 100. Martic has won 6 of her last 20 matches and has just a single victory to her name in 2022.
Keys beat Martic 6-3 6-4 in 2019 in Zhuhai in the only previous meeting between the pair on a hard court. Martic previously defeated Keys at Roland Garros 3-6 6-3 6-1 in 2017.
It’s hard to know what to expect from Keys in this spot. Her performance in Guadalajara was awful, her motivation to turn things around in Monterrey is questionable. Meanwhile, Martic’s extended form is awful, but she is a potentially problematic matchup for Keys because of the versatility she possesses. Martic is overdue for a notable win, this could be the spot.
Prediction: Martic in 3
Main Photo from Getty Images
