The WTA Cluj Open may not be blessed with much obvious star power, but it still promises a lot of exciting and unpredictable action between players who have ever reason to believe they can make a big run this week. On day one, there are six intriguing first-round matches on the schedule and, as always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Jule Niemeier vs Ana Bogdan. But who will reach the second round?
WTA Cluj Day 1 Predictions
Tamara Korpatsch vs Dayana Yastremska
Head-to-head: first meeting
Dayana Yastremska comes into the WTA Cluj Open in absolutely awful form, having lost her last eight matches all in straight sets. There seems to be no way out of this negative spiral for the Ukrainian and although there is not much distance between her and Tamara Korpatsch in the rankings, the German actually been on the rise this year, putting together a relatively consistent season. She did fall short in the qualifying, only earning her place in the main draw as a lucky loser, but she will still be the clear favourite in this match judging by each player’s current level.
Prediction: Korpatsch in 2
Embed from Getty Images
Anna Bondar vs Elina Avanesyan
Head-to-head: first meeting
When she played in Cluj last year, Hungary’s Anna Bondar was ranked #133 and lost in the first round… of qualifying. One year later, she’s more than halved her ranking and is looking to climb further. Elina Avanesyan is in good shape herself, though, and she easily swept through the qualifying stage of the tournament, winning both matches in straight sets. Still, expect the higher-ranked Bondar to have the edge in this one.
Prediction: Bondar in 2
Embed from Getty Images
Jasmine Paolini vs Marta Kostyuk
Head-to-head: Kostyuk 1-0 Paolini
Marta Kostyuk is seeded sixth at the WTA Cluj Open and will be aiming for a deep run in Romania. Particularly as this looks like a kind first-round draw for the Ukrainian. When the pair faced earlier this year in Cincinnati, she won in comprehensive fashion, dropping just two games in a 6-2 6-2 winn and there’s every reason to believe she will once win comfortably here since most of Jasmine Paolini’s success at this level has come on the clay.
Prediction: Kostyuk in 2
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
