Fisrt-round action at the WTA Bett1Open in Berlin concludes on Tuesday with 13 matches on the schedule. As always, we here at LWOT have every match covered in our daily predictions, with four of them in this article. We predict all of Tuesday’s matches, split between three articles. Our other two articles with Tuesday’s matches feature Elena Rybakina vs Polina Kudermetova and Aryna Sabalenka vs Vera Zvonareva. But who will advance?
WTA Berlin Day 2 Predictions
Daria Kasatkina vs Petra Martic
Head-to-head: Kasatkina 2-2 Martic
Daria Kasatkina looked flustered on hard courts and needed a full reset. After a run of three wins in six tournaments, the clay swing offered her a new lease of life. She has since managed to steer that win column in an upward direction. The Russian can reclaim her top-10 status with a good run this week. Petra Martic, however, is far from a pushover. Martic has reached the second week at Wimbledon three times in her career. She has sufficient pedigree on this surface to suggest she might have a fair chance of winning this match. But Kasatkina’s versatility probably gives her the edge.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
Nadia Podoroska vs Rebeka Masarova
Head-to-head: Masarova 1-0 Podoroska
Nadia Podoroska and Rebeka Masarova are clay specialists, so much so that they both squeezed clay-court tennis into their schedule after the French Open. They met each other at the WTA 125K in La Bisbal a couple of weeks ago. Masarova won a two and half hour marathon. The Spaniard has a more potent serve although it frequently comes with its fair share of double faults. But I feel she will easily adjust to quicker conditions as evidenced by her run to the final in Auckland where most matches were scheduled indoors.
Prediction: Masarova in 3
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Liudmila Samsonova vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Head-to-head: first meeting
Stylistically, Liudmila Samsonova and Ekaterina Alexandrova do match up to each other. Both can play big from the baseline and finish points in fewer than three shots on grass. Alexandrova arrives here following her successful title defense in Den Bosch where she defeated another Russian Veronika Kudermetova. Samsonova played in Den Bosch too but was hampered by a thigh injury. She was forced to retire in the quarterfinal. Maybe it would have been best to give Berlin a miss and play at one of the tuneup events next week, but we’ll soon find out if she has recovered from the injury. Nevertheless, Alexandrova surfs in Berlin on a wave of momentum.
Prediction: Alexandrova in 3
Coco Gauff vs Katerina Siniakova
Head-to-head: Gauff 4-1 Siniakova
Coco Gauff’s win over Venus Williams at Wimbledon in 2019 was expected to usher in a new era in women’s tennis. Although Gauff has made constant improvement in her game, the mental and physical demands of a grand slam tournament have weighed heavily on her in each of the past two seasons. Maybe with the limelight receding a bit since the French Open, she will summon the steel to go for her shots on grass. She has a tricky opener against Katerina Siniakova, to begin with. The Czech is primarily a doubles specialist, but she has a well-stocked array of shots that blend so well on the lawns. Gauff needs maximum concentration at every point here.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
