Day 1 at the WTA Rogers Cup (officially the National Bank Open) in Toronto will feature plenty of exciting action in a stacked field, including Serena Williams as she tries to make a successful comeback to the tour, still looking for that Grand Slam title that has eluded her in the past five years, and the recent Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
WTA Toronto Day 1 Predictions
Elena Rybakina vs Marie Bouzkova
Head-to-head: Rybakina 2-0 Bouzkova
Rybakina’s ranking of 23 is highly misleading since it doesn’t take into account her recent Wimbledon title. The 23-year-old will surely be full of confidence, looking to add more precious silverware to her resumé. She has never dropped a set against her first round opponent and she’s likely to pull through in straights here yet again and possibly contend for the title.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Petra Kvitova vs Alison Riske
Head-to-head: Riske 2-1 Kvitova
Kvitova is a former two-time Slam champion (both at Wimbledon) and world #2, but she’s very far from that kind of form, she’s just a shadow of her former self. This should therefore be a very tight match, difficult to call, but the Czech is still the slight favorite, although she could just as easily hit herself off the court and lose in straights. It will mostly depend on what kind of level and consistency Kvitova can bring to the court.
Prediction: Kvitova in 3
Nuria Parrizas Diaz vs Serena Williams
Head-to-head: first meeting
Serena might have lost in the first round at Wimbledon, but it’d be unwise to write her off. As long as she’s competing, Serena will always be a threat and although her level tomorrow is hard to predict it’s far to call her a favorite in this one against an opponent that’s not known for being dangerous at this level, especially on hard courts. After all, it still took a really strong performance from Tan at Wimbledon to defeat Serena.
Prediction: Williams in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
