The WTA Monastir Open is the first tour-level tournament to be held in Tunisia. The 28-woman field is spearheaded by the #2 and hometown hero Ons Jabeur who is scheduled to play on day two of the event. There will be six matches on schedule on day one and, as always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match, including Alizé Cornet vs Laura Pigossi. But who will come out on top?f
WTA Monastir Day 1 Predictions
Katerina Siniakova vs Chloe Paquet
Head-to-head: Siniakova 1-0 Paquet
Katerina Siniakova didn’t even have time to take the champagne from the ice following her US Open doubles success alongside Krejcikova. Less than 24 hours after capturing the title, she was on the first flight to Slovenia. I was staggered she even won a match in Portoroz let alone win the whole tournament. Her singles career had stagnated prior to Portoroz, but now she is a rejuvenated player. Expect her to put her foot down and control proceedings against world #114 Chloe Paquet.
Prediction: Siniakova in 2
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Elise Mertens vs Jaqueline Cristian
Head-to-head: first meeting
Elise Mertens has won six WTA titles in the last five seasons outlasting her opponents with endurance and stamina. However, she has been slow off the blocks this season, partly due to injury. Cristian has endured a similarly rocky road in 2022 after picking up a serious knee injury at the Qatar Open in February. She was out of action for six months and made her comeback at the US Open. Her return was a victory in itself despite going down at the hands of Anett Kontaveit 6-3 6-0. Mertens can be maddening to play against especially in a baseline battle. She has not been in great form, but she should fancy her chances from the back of the court in this matchup.
Prediction: Mertens in 3
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Claire Liu vs Ana Konjuh
Head-to-head: Liu 1-0 Konjuh
Konjuh is another player who has been through hell with a long list of injuries during her career. She hasn’t managed to fulfill her teenage potential on the main tour. The Croatian forged a reputation for beating her opponents into submission with brute force and aggression. She almost had a flawless technique when she unfurled her groundstrokes. But injuries have hampered her movement and her ability to pick her spots. Her game is littered with a myriad of errors. Liu, for her part, comes to Tunisia entrenched inside the top 100. Her quarterfinal run in Tokyo pushed her ranking to a new career-high of #73. The odds are almost even here and this could go either way. Right now, I’ll take the more consistent American.
Prediction: Liu in 3
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