Day 3 at the WTA event in Strasbourg will feature plenty of tight, exciting matches for sure. The field is depleted as usual in tournaments played the week before Slams; there’s not a single Top 20 player in the draw here, but that just provides an extra incentive for lower ranked players to fight for the rare opportunity to go deep in the draw or even win a WTA title.
WTA Strasbourg Day 2 Predictions
Anna-Lena Friedsam vs Anna Blinkova
Head-to-head: Friedsam 1-0 Blinkova
Friedsam had an incredible 6-0 6-0 first round win over the #3 seed and world #30 Shaui Zhang. It’s very rare to see double bagels at tour levels, let alone double bagelling opponents ranked more than 60 places above you in the rankings. Friedsam will surely very riding high on confidence and that might make the difference in what’s on paper a very tight matchup.
Prediction: Friedsam in 2
Clara Burel vs Kaia Kanepi
Head-to-head: first meeting
A clash of generations. Burel is young and still aiming to rise up the rankings, while Kanepi is a veteran of the circuit with tons of experience but whose best days are almost certainly behind her. It’s a very tough match to call, with neither player showing any kind of form this year.
Prediction: Kanepi in 3
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Emma Navarro vs Jil Teichmann
Head-to-head: first meeting
Another very difficult match to call. Navarro has shown better form but it has been at lower levels; that said, on clay it would be fair to give her the slight edge in this match. Teichmann has been having a rough season so far and will surely do everything in her power to start turning things around here, but Navarro should have the edge.
Prediction: Navarro in 3
Kimberly Birrell vs Bernarda Pera
Head-to-head: first meeting
On paper, this is perhaps the most one-sided matchup of the day. Pera is the far more solid and thus higher ranked player and she’s also clearly more comfortable on clay than Birrell. In normal circumstances, it will be Pera making it through to the next round.
Prediction: Pera in 2
Magda Linette vs Cristina Bucsa
Head-to-head: first meeting
Linette started the season in incredible fashion, making it to the semifinals of the Australian Open and only losing to Sabalenka, but she hasn’t really been able to back up that run since. She has a good opportunity to try and make a run here as the first seed, althogh Bucsa is unlikely to be an easy opponent.
Prediction: Linette in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
