The countdown to Wimbledon continues, and the WTA German Open in Berlin is another excellent chance for the players to get their vital preparations in. Plenty of top players will be competing in Germany, and we will be offering up our predictions throughout the week. We also look at the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article. So, who marches on to the next round?
WTA Berlin Open Day 1 Predictions
Daria Kasatkina vs Anhelina Kalinina
Head-to-head: 1-1
This will be Kasatkina’s first grass court tournament of the season. She made the Wimbledon quarterfinals back in 2018 and the final in Birmingham last year, so she’s clearly a solid player on the surface. She’s been playing some wonderful tennis in recent times, and will be looking to make the most of being the sixth seed here.
Kalinina has played some exceptional tennis this year. Unfortunately for her, she has far less experience on the grass than her opponent, having never even played a main draw match at Wimbledon. She’s no doubt a bright prospect with plenty of time to make her mark, but it’s a tricky surface to master. Kasatkina should be the favourite here.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 2
Anastasia Gasanova vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Head-to-head: First meeting
It’s a wonder why Gasanova’s ranking is so low (#150) given some of her excellent wins over players such as Teichmann, Svitolina and Kvitova. She’s clearly capable of some very high level tennis, but needs to sustain it if she’s to become a mainstay on the WTA. She’s also highly inexperienced on grass, which isn’t ideal when facing a player like Sasnovich.
Sasnovich was absolutely fantastic at the French Open. Not only did she beat strong opponents, she did so with such brutal attacking tennis. Though she’s not done particularly well on grass in the past, she appears to be in great form right now and her easy access to power should reap some rewards before Wimbledon, which she won’t be competing at. The Belarusian has far more experience and should win here, but Gasanova is clearly a big game player and may make things interesting.
Prediction: Sasnovich in 3
Bianca Andreescu vs Katerina Siniakova
Head-to-head: First meeting
This should be intriguing. It’s hard to believe that Andreescu is still only 21 given she’s a US Open champion and has had lengthy spells on the side-lines due to injury. The Canadian hasn’t gone beyond the first round at Wimbledon yet, but this surely won’t be the case for long given her talent and firepower.
Siniakova is a very dangerous player when she’s feeling the ball, and could well cause trouble here. She’s an excellent ball striker, and likes the grass courts. The Czech has a Wimbledon doubles title to her name, and has reached the 3rd round in singles three on three occasions. If this was on any other surface I’d give the edge to Andreescu, but the Canadian is still on the comeback trail and hasn’t got as much experience on these courts. It could well be close, but Siniakova takes it for me.
Prediction: Siniakova in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
