The clay court season is here, starting with the traditional WTA Charleston Open on the green clay. Main draw action commences on Monday where several interesting matchups are scheduled. The final match on the main court sees Irina-Camelia Begu take on the rising Xinyu Wang. Who will prevail?
WTA Charleston Day 1 Predictions
Aliaksandra Sasnovich vs Anhelina Kalinina
H2H: First meeting.
A tough opening round matchup to predict. Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Anhelina Kalinina are both coming off confidence-boosting fourth round appearances at the Miami Open.
Sasnovich is more experienced at this level but Kalinina’s results on clay are far more impressive. Kalinina made a name for herself on clay in 2021 where she won a ton of matches, mostly at the lower levels. That type of form seemingly gives Kalinina the edge in this matchup. Sasnovich generally plays her best tennis on a quicker surface, clay is her worst surface.
Prediction: Kalinina in 2
Alize Cornet vs Alycia Parks
H2H: First meeting.
Alycia Parks is likely to receive a tennis lesson from the vastly more experienced Alize Cornet in their Charleston opener. Parks has very little experience at this level. Cornet is a tricky opponent, especially for an inexperienced player such a Parks. The consistency and variety of Cornet will probably be too much for Parks to handle. Parks is still a raw talent, yet to make her mark at this level of competition, Cornet feeds off situations like this.
Prediction: Cornet in 2
Allie Kiick vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
H2H: First meeting.
Ekaterina Alexandrova is clearly a class above Allie Kiick. Alexandrova has the weapons to blast Kiick off the court without raising much of a sweat. However, Alexandrova is unreliable at the best of times and clay is her worst surface. Kiick came through the qualifying draw and is therefore used to the conditions whilst Alexandrova will be playing her first match on clay this year. I’ll give Alexandrova the benefit of the doubt but an upset wouldn’t be a huge shock in these circumstances.
Prediction: Alexandrova in 3
Irina-Camelia Begu vs Xinyu Wang
H2H: Frist meeting.
Irina-Camelia Begu had a disappointing clay court season in 2021 by her usual standards. I’m expecting better results from the experienced Romanian in 2022, starting with an opening round win over Xinyu Wang in Charleston.
There was great hope for Xinyu Wang heading into the 2022 season. Those hopes haven’t been met, but the season is still young. The 20-year-old hasn’t proven herself on clay, by far her least successful surface.
Begu is far better credentialed on clay, that seemingly gives her the edge in this matchup, especially given Wang’s mediocre form this season.
Prediction: Begu in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
