Petra Kvitova has already won the WTA 1000 in Miami and the WTA 500 in Berlin this year. Now she’ll be looking to add to her WTA 250 trophy cabinet in Ningbo. Will she find her best level right away, facing Anna-Lena Friedsam on Monday? We also look at the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article. Who do you think will come out on top?
WTA Ningbo Day 1 Predictions
Lucia Bronzetti vs Jil Teichmann
Head-to-head: First meeting
Falling down to World No. 141 must be a bit of a shock for Jil Teichmann and so far, she wasn’t handling it well at all. The Swiss lost her first three matches of this Asian Swing, but did well to qualify for this event. Lucia Bronzetti isn’t as talented or explosive. Will that matter though? She’s the player with more confidence at the moment and the player with a steadier, more reliable level.
Prediction: Bronzetti in 3
Daria Saville vs Yulia Putintseva
Head-to-head: Putinsteva 4-0
How much does this head-to-head matter? When they played for the third time, they were still just 19 and 18. It’s only the last encounter between them that is still relatively fresh (Sydney 2019). Last week, they both lost to the eventual runner-up of Guangzhou, Magda Linette. Daria Saville might have a harder time playing Yulia Putinsteva than most with her possessing a counter-punching style herself. After all these years, it’s hard to tell if that still holds up though.
Prediction: Putinsteva in 3
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Yue Yuan vs Kateryna Baindl
Head-to-head: Yuan 1-0
They played just about a month ago with Yue Yuan battling her way due to a hard-fought 4-6 7-6 6-2 win. Both haven’t exactly been setting the world on fire since. One thing that still holds up though is that the Chinese should have a much higher ceiling with her forehand shotmaking. It is up to her to deliver the goods and prove that in another match against Kateryna Baindl.
Prediction: Yuan in 2
Petra Kvitova vs Anna-Lena Friedsam
Head-to-head: First meeting
Petra Kvitova has been scheduling herself rather conservatively this year, but her quality once she’s actually on the court is definitely there. The North American hard-court swing had her out in the second round (or second match) on three occasions, but it’s not like she’s had any bad losses. Anna-Lena Friedsam is a gritty competitor, but the conditions in Ningbo should allow Kvitova to hit through her.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
