Day 2 of the 2022 WTA Birmingham Classic will see nine opening round matches played on Tuesday. Seven of the eight seeded players will be in action at the WTA 250 grass court tournament. No. 2 seed Simona Halep, who defeated Lesia Tsurenko on Day 1, is the only seed to have competed so far. Defending champion Ons Jabeur opted to play the WTA 500 event in Berlin instead this week. We also predict the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article.
WTA Birmingham Classic Day 2 Predictions
Shelby Rogers vs Sorana Cirstea
Head-to-head: Rogers 2-0 Cirstea
Shelby Rogers comes into this tournament having won five of her last seven matches. The World No. 39 started her grass campaign by reaching the semifinals of last week’s Libema Open. The 29-year-old was beaten by World No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka.
Sorana Cirstea has lost five of her last six matches and has not played since falling in the second round of the French Open. The 32-year-old Romanian reached the third round of Wimbledon last year in her most recent grass court outing. Rogers reached the same stage at the All England Club in 2021.
Rogers has won both of the pair’s previous meetings in straight sets, including a second round clash at the 2021 US Open. The powerful American’s form on grass should see her earn a third win over an opponent short of recent matches or wins.
Prediction: Rogers in 2
Jana Fett vs Shuai Zhang
Head-to-head: First meeting
This will be Jana Fett’s first WTA tour match of 2022 after the Croatian qualified for the event. The World No. 262 had lost in qualifying for three other tour events and otherwise competed at ITF level. The 25-year-old, who beat Aleksandra Krunic in the final round of qualifying, has been ranked as high as 97th in the world.
Zhang Shuai has had success on grass. The 33-year-old reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2019 and was a runner-up in Nottingham last year. The Chinese also reached the last eight in Nottingham last week, losing to Tereza Martincova.
Zhang, who won the Lyon Open on indoor hard courts in March, should benefit from her pedigree on quicker surfaces and greater tour experience – particularly this year.
Prediction: Zhang in 2
Tereza Martincova vs Camila Giorgi
Head-to-head: Giorgi 1-0 Martincova
Tereza Martincova showcased her grass court abilities by reaching the semifinals in Nottingham last week. The World No. 56 was forced to retire during her semifinal against eventual winner Beatriz Haddad Maia due to a knee injury. The 27-year-old Czech also made the last eight in both Nottingham and Birmingham in 2021, before losing to eventual finalist Karolina Pliskova in the third round at Wimbledon.
Camila Giorgi has also enjoyed impressive results on the grass in previous seasons. The World No. 26 achieved her best Grand Slam result by reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2018 and has earned four wins over top 10 players on the surface. The 30-year-old Italian also won the 2015 Rosmalen Open and made the semifinals in Eastbourne last year.
Giorgi downed Martincova 6-2 7-6(2) in the second round of the Australian Open in January. Her aggressive game could give her the edge again in Birmingham, while there is a slight question mark over Martincova’s fitness.
Prediction: Giorgi in 3
Jelena Ostapenko vs Rebecca Marino
Head-to-head: First meeting
Jelena Ostapenko has lost six of her last seven matches dating back to February, but ended a five-match losing streak at the French Open. The World No. 16 had made a superb start to the year, winning 14 matches and a title in the first two months. The 25-year-old Latvian has had big results on grass, reaching the quarterfinals and semifinals at Wimbledon in 2017 and 2018 respectively, and winning the Eastbourne International last year.
Rebecca Marino had not played on grass since 2011 until she reached the second round in Nottingham last week. The 31-year-old Canadian pushed World No. 6 Maria Sakkari to three sets. The World No. 107 then lost just six games and no sets in her two qualifying matches for this event.
While Marino could test Ostapenko in the pair’s first match, the Latvian should come through on a surface that suits her aggressive game.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
