The Round of 16 matches will be concluded on Thursday, Day 4 at the WTA Palermo Open. There will be plenty of home interest as the likes of Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Lucia Bronzetti aim to reach the quarterfinals. As always, we here at LWOT have every match covered in our daily predictions.
WTA Palermo Day 4 Predictions
Julia Grabher vs Nuria Parrizas-Diaz
Head-to-head: Parrizas-Diaz 1-0 Grabher
These two players met recently at the Valencia WTA 125K tournament, with Parrizas-Diaz winning in straight sets. But I expect Thursday’s clash to be closer. Grabher is making the most of her second chance in Palermo, entering the draw as a lucky loser and authoring an upset win over Xinyu Wang. Parrizas-Diaz, meanwhile, was able to take the sting out of her recent barren run with a stuttering victory in her opening match. We might see three sets in this one and it is a flip of the coin.
Prediction: Grabher in 3
Yulia Putintseva vs Diane Parry
Head-to-head: first meeting
Putintseva was given a reality check in Budapest this past week as her title defense came to a screeching halt. But she has bounced back superbly in Palermo, beating lucky loser Jaimee Fourlis 6-3 6-1. She will face a tricky customer in Diane Parry on Thursday. Parry burst onto the scene at her home slam last month, stunning defending champion Barbora Krejcikova right out of the gate. And in recent weeks, it is clear that Parry is not the sort of player who lives to cherish past glories. She is not letting one result define the trajectory of her career. If she continues to make good use of her wide skillset, she will certainly test Putintseva’s patience.
Prediction: Parry in 3
Elina Avanesyan vs Lucia Bronzetti
Head-to-head: first meeting
Elina Avanesyan is hardly a WTA regular, but she is only 19 and will get plenty of opportunities in the future. She has done remarkably well to qualify for the main draw, but this is where the run ends. Bronzetti is among a crop of young Italian players making their mark on the main tour. And she scored a fine win over Xiyu Wang in her first-round match. Bronzetti is the odds-on favorite here and it is hard to dispute that.
Prediction: Bronzetti in 2
Caroline Garcia vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto
Head-to-head: Garcia 1-0 Cocciaretto
After a couple of years in the wilderness, Garcia is enjoying a career renaissance in 2022. An impressive grass-court season yielded 10 wins and a ninth career title in Bad Homburg. As a result, she was able to regain her place in the world’s top 50. Elisabetta Cocciaretto, for her part, is taking some positive steps in her quest to break the top 100. The 21-year-old Italian has been in terrific form on the ITF circuit and has won an astonishing 27 matches on clay across all levels this year. She advanced into the second round of Palermo by thrashing her experienced compatriot Sara Errani 6-1 6-0. Both players have hit a purple patch this year, but I think Garcia is operating at a higher level right now and should be too strong for the home wild card.
Prediction: Garcia in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
