It’s time to begin the post-Wimbledon WTA Tour clay swing. The WTA Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest is hosting seven main draw singles matches on Monday, Day 1 of main draw action. Among these in action are fifth-seeded Tatjana Maria and eighth-seeded Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Who do you think will advance? We also look at the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article.
WTA Budapest Day 1 Predictions
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova vs Polina Kudermetova
Head-to-head: First meeting
Polina Kudermetova had a few nice performances during the grass swing, but her clay season earlier wasn’t spectacular at all. Her big game is probably more effective in quicker conditions. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova didn’t do well on the lawn but unless she lost too much momentum, she should be returning to her best here. After all, she reached the Roland Garros fourth round a little over a month ago.
Prediction: Schmiedlova in 2
Kristina Kucova vs Kaja Juvan
Head-to-head: First meeting
Kristina Kucova hasn’t been playing all that much this year and when we see her on the court, the wins just aren’t coming. Other than a Bundesliga match a week ago, she hasn’t played since the French Open. Beating a talented youngster like Kaja Juvan seems like a tough ask for her at the moment, especially with the Slovenian catching some rhythm with successful qualifying campaigns here and at Wimbledon.
Prediction: Juvan in 2
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Louisa Chirico vs Claire Liu
Head-to-head: Chirico 1-0
These two have just played at the WTA 125K event in Bastad last week, where they were both among the best performers. Louisa Chirico went one round further and made the semifinals. Since then, she’s also had to qualify for this event and did it with a couple of good displays. Beating someone one week isn’t a guarantee you’ll do it again though and Claire Liu is perceived as the player with more upside. She’ll be desperate to exact revenge.
Prediction: Liu in 3
Tatjana Maria vs Carole Monnet
Head-to-head: Maria 1-0
Tatjana Maria’s slice-and-dice game theoretically shouldn’t be at its most effective on clay with the ball sitting up, but she actually has a great record on the surface. It feels like conditions such as the ones in Budapest could maybe even enhance that. Carole Monnet pushed her in Surbiton recently and yet it’s not guaranteed that the Frenchwoman will have it in her to do it again. The experience and unique style of Maria are wonderful weapons to have in your arsenal.
Prediction: Maria in 2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
