The inaugural WTA ATX Open in Austin, Texas, will be the first WTA Tour-level tournament to be played on U.S. soil this year. And there will be a slew of entertaining matchups throughout the week. Day 1 is headlined by the presence of rising star Alycia Parks, who will play Swedish wild card Mirjam Bjorklund. Who do you think will come out on top?
WTA Austin Day 1 Predictions
Katie Volynets vs Alison Riske-Amritraj
Head-to-head: first meeting
Katie Volynets is on the rise. Since suffering a shock defeat to Venus Williams in Auckland at the start of the year, the 21-year-old has done fairly well. She made the third round of a Slam for the first time and scored her first top-10 scalp by beating Veronika Kudermeotva in Melbourne. It would be harsh to go as far as saying this might be the start of a decline, but Riske-Amritraj is having a poor set of results. Her confirdence has taken a hit and she has been on the wrong end of a handful of tight matches this year. It is now one win in nine for the 32-year-old dating back to the end of 2022. Volynets looks primed to deny her compatriot here.
Prediction: Volynets in 3
Alycia Parks vs Mirjam Bjorklund
Head-to-head: first meeting
Parks’ week in Merida did not go as planned, but this looks like a nice tournament to bounce back from. Bjorklund has won an ITF tournament staged in Austin before, so she has the feel-good factor when she returns to the city. The young American, however, has a big game to power through here, even though her composure is still a work in progress.
Prediction: Parks in 2
Anna Blinkova vs Ann Li
Head-to-head: first meeting
Ann Li has yet to win a main draw match this year. In fact, you have to go back to September the last time she won at this level. So it’s been a while. The American had a strong qualifying campaign in Austin which should serve her nicely for a big-hitting contest against Blinkova. Blinkova started the year with a semifinal run in Hobart, scoring wins over Yulia Putintseva and Marie Bouzkova although she is currently on a four-match losing streak. The Russian is a clean hitter and Li might lack the necessary power to outmatch her.
Prediction: Blinkova in 3
Danka Kovinic vs Heather Watson
Head-to-head: Watson 1-0 Kovinic
Watson has made a positive start to her 2023 season. A quarterfinal run in Hua Hin was followed by a runner-up finish at the W25 ITF in Glasgow. Kovinic had an equally great start but succumbed to an embarrassing loss in the qualifying round in Dubai, falling to 831st-ranked Stefania Bojica. The Montenegrin could take a while to get going here with Watson already at an advantage playing a couple of qualifying matches in Austin.
Prediction: Watson in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
