We are into Round 2 on Day 3 at the WTA Birmingham Classic. The grass courts are playing very fast, lending their hand to those with a strong serve and powerful groundstrokes. #2 seed Simona Halep will take on British Wildcard Harriet Dart as the marquee match of the day. We have the preview and prediction for that match as well as all other happenings around the grounds of Birmingham on Day 3.
WTA Birmingham Classic Day 3 Predictions
Sorana Cirstea vs Aleksandra Krunic
Head-to-Head: Cirstea 2-1 Krunic
#6 seed Sorana Cirstea picked up an excellent 6-3 4-6 6-1 Round 1 win over Shelby Rogers to start her grass-court campaign. Her Round 2 opponent, Alexsandra Krunic, made good on her Lucky Loser entrant into the draw, besting Petra Martic 6-4 7-6 in Round 1. Cirstea holds the head-to-head advantage 2-1 with all three matches played on hard courts. Alexsandra Krunic has a fairly strong record of 11-9 in her career on the grass but still does not claim it as her surface of choice. Cirstea is a tough player to hit through and forces you to play long points. I do not think Krunic has the current form to last in a three-setter.
Prediction: Cirstea in 3
Caroline Garcia vs Katie Boulter
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Caroline Garcia spent 2 hours and 48 minutes on-court during her Round 1 win over Vikorija Golubic. It was her first match that lasted over two hours since early March. Fatigue may certainly play a factor in this one for Garcia. On the other side of the net, Wildcard entrant Katie Boulter bested #7 seed Alison Riske 6-4 6-3 in Round 1. Boulter has been in some fine form on the grass as she favors it as her most comfortable surface. With that said, Caroline Garcia has a career-winning percentage of 60.4% on grass, her best of all surfaces. I think this one goes the distance, with Boulter’s recent form being the difference.
Prediction: Boulter in 3
Caty McNally vs Donna Vekic
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Both Caty McNally and Donna Vekic worked their way through two rounds of qualifying to enter the main draw at the Birmingham Classic. McNally upset #4 seed Elise Mertens in her Round 1 match 3-6 6-4 7-5. Her big serve and powerful forehand proved to be a problem for Mertens. Donna Vekic won her Round 1 match in straight sets over Coco Vandeweghe. Vekic has yet to drop a set during her three matches in Birmingham. As a former top-20 player, Vekic favors the grass as her best surface. American Caty McNally shows flashes of her talent on the singles court but needs to find more consistency if she wants to string together tour-level wins. I like Vekic to advance in a decider.
Prediction: Vekic in 3
Simona Halep vs Harriet Dart
Head-to-Head: Halep 1-0 Dart
#2 seed Simona Halep will take on wildcard Harriet Dart in Round 2 at the Birmingham Classic. Both Halep and Dart cruised through their Round 1 matches in straight sets. Halep has struggled with her form of late but is looking to use the grass season to propel her into a strong second half of 2022. Her ferocious ball-striking has always done the Romanian well on grass. Harriet Dart is certainly no cake-walk of a Wildcard opponent. The young Brit fancies the grass as her favorite surface. I see her pushing Halep for a set before the 2019 Wimbledon Champion takes hold of the contest.
Prediction: Halep in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
