Day 1 at the WTA ASB Classic in Auckland will feature nine first-round matches. The biggest of those is undoubtedly Emma Raducanu’s first career meeting against 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova. We predict all those matches including Lauren Davis’ meeting against Tamara Zidansek. Who do you think will come out on top?
WTA Auckland Day 2 Predictions
Erin Routliffe vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse
Head-to-head: first meeting
Routliffe is a doubles specialist and hardly ever plays in singles these days. In fact, her scheduled opening round in Auckland will be her debut appearance in the main draw of a WTA tournament. Getting a wild card at her home tournament is cause enough for celebration after falling in the qualifying rounds in four previous tries. The New Zealander will be cheered on by a raucous home crowd, but it is tough to imagine her getting a result of any note against a former world No. 51 in Ruse.
Prediction: Ruse in 2
Danka Kovinic vs Nao Hibino
Head-to-head: Hibino 1-0 Kovinic
Hibino enters this match as a slight favorite. She came through qualifying, beating the big-hitting Coco Vandeweghe in three sets, and then replicating that result in her last match against Jaqueline Cristian to reach the main draw. Accumulating some playing time is important at this early stage but not Kpovinic shouldn’t take too much time to adjust to the court conditions. The balls are flying in Auckland, largely due to the windy and rainy conditions in the past couple of days. If Kovinic can play with a lot more regulation in her groundstrokes, just as she did towards the backend of last season, she has to be favored to navigate past the qualifier.
Prediction: Kovinic in 3
Emma Raducanu vs Linda Fruhvirtova
Head-to-head: first meeting
Emma Raducanu begins her 2023 season with her fifth coach in just under two years. She will totally need a different mindset for the new campaign and hope her body will hold up for a grueling and packed schedule. Fitness was a major concern for the Briton who had four retirements in 2022. While Raducanu’s slump was a huge storyline last season, Fruhvirtova’s rise has been particularly refreshing. The 17-year-old made waves at the top-tier WTA tournaments, first in Miami where she scored her first Top 25 win, and then winning a maiden WTA title in Chennai. Fruhvirtova has the tools to excel at Tour level in the not-too-distant future, but right now Raducanu should scratch and claw her way past young the Czech.
Prediction: Raducanu in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
