The 2023 WTA Tennis in the Land begins its main draw action on Sunday in Cleveland, Ohio with three matches scheduled (along with the final round of qualifying). Linda Noskova vs Leylah Fernandez is definitely the highlight of the day. Who do you think will prevail?
WTA Cleveland Day 1 Predictions
Nadia Podoroska vs Clara Tauson
Head-to-head: First meeting
This is a final round of qualifying match. Clara Tauson is one of the players we would most like to see healthy on the WTA Tour and this year we’re getting glimpses of how good she can be again. Nadia Podoroska really isn’t as poor on hard courts as people think and doesn’t deserve to be thought of as a hardcore clay specialist. However, this match really seems on Tauson’s racket. If she’s up to the task, the Dane should be able to make the main draw.
Prediction: Tauson in 2
Lin Zhu vs Anna Blinkova
Head-to-head: 1-1
Both players have had some excellent results this year that make it the best seasons of their careers so far, but they’re also struggling for consistency week in and week out. Both didn’t produce anything sensational in the Canada/Cincinnati double either, losing to the first established players they ran into. Lin Zhu should be the more proactive player in this matchup and her flat hitting seems like it could be tricky to deal with in Cleveland. It’s incredibly close though, you can flip a coin basically.
Prediction: Zhu in 3
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Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Patricia Maria Tig
Head-to-head: First meeting
Patricia Maria Tig has been trying to return to the tour this year, but so far the best she managed was a couple of ITF quarterfinals. This will be quite a step up in competition compared to most of the opposition she’s faced this year. Ekaterina Alexandrova has only played once since Wimbledon and took two games off Sorana Cirstea in Cincinnati. But even that, along with the Russian’s erratic style of play, doesn’t make it seem like Tig has much of a chance here. Especially on hard courts.
Prediction: Alexandrova in 2
Linda Noskova vs Leylah Fernandez
Head-to-head: First meeting
It’s a clash of two talented youngsters, but also very different in terms of their temperament on the court. Leylah Fernandez counter-punches with her lefty spins and tries to get the opponent uncomfortable, while the mercurial Linda Noskova has constant ups and downs. The young Czech seems like the bigger prospect in the long run, but so far it’s pretty hard to predict what you’re going to get from her. She had a good run in Cincinnati though, so she deserves the slight nod here.
Prediction: Noskova in 3
Main Photo Credit: Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK
