We are just six days away from the start of the 2023 French Open as 32 women descend upon Strasbourg, France, for a final WTA lead-up event ahead of the second Slam of the season. The Internationaux de Strasbourg may not have the most star-studded field, but intriguing matchups should lend itself to some terrific tennis. No. 5 seed Sorana Cirstea gets her tournament started against Frenchwoman Clara Burel. We have the preview and prediction for that match and all other happenings around the grounds of Strasbourg. But who will advance?
WTA Strasbourg Day 2 Predictions
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Angelina Gabueva
Head-to-Head: Pavlyuchenkova 1-0 Gabueva
2018 Strasbourg champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is looking for a career resurrection. The former world No. 11 is ranked outside the Top 500 and has just four WTA wins since 2022. She takes on 34-year-old Russian Angelina Gabueva in the first round in Strasbourg. Gabueva has never won a WTA match in her career. This will be her first professional match since September 2022. She is out of form and will not have a chance in this bout against Pavlyuchenkova.
Prediction: Pavlyuchenkova in 2
Su-Wei Hsieh vs Erin Routliffe
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Su-Wei Hsieh and Erin Routliffe are currently ranked outside the top 700 and would love to string a few wins together at a WTA event. Hsieh is a former top 25-ranked player in the world but has not competed at this level since 2021. That said, she gets a bit of a walkover Round 1 match against Routliffe. The Canadian has little professional history for me to believe she can compete in this match.
Prediction: Hsieh in 2
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Varvara Gracheva vs Zhuoxuan Bai
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Varvara Gracheva has had a strong season, culminating in a career-high ranking of world No. 43 last month. The 22-year-old Russian has incredible tools that have allowed her to beat three top-10 players this season. She takes on 20-year-old Zhuoxuan Bai in Round 1. This will be Bai’s first career WTA match. Bai has a strong future in this sport, but she does not possess the weapons to trouble Gracheva.
Prediction: Gracheva in 2
Bernarda Pera vs Sophie Chang
Head-to-Head: first meeting
No. 4 seed Bernarda Pera takes on fellow American Sophie Chang in Round 1 in Strasbourg. Pera is currently sitting at a career-high ranking of world No. 32. The 28-year-old should sense a significant opportunity to capture her third career WTA title in a weak field in Strasbourg. Chang has yet to win a match at the WTA level. Pera is too strong on the clay and will dictate most rallies in this match.
Prediction: Pera in 2
Sorana Cirstea vs Clara Burel
Head-to-Head: first meeting
No. 5 seed Sorana Cirstea will take on young Frenchwoman Clara Burel to open their play in Strasbourg. Cirstea has been on a tear of late, winning 16 of her 20 matches since the start of March. On the other side of the net, Burel has had an up-and-down 2023 season. Like many young players, she struggles with consistency week to week. Burel will have the crowd on her side, but Cirstea’s consistency off both wings will overwhelm her.
Prediction: Cirstea in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
