The United Cup has already given us a few WTA Tour matches this season, but the season really gets underway on New Year’s Eve with eight main draw singles encounters at the 2024 WTA Brisbane International. All sixteen seeds have a bye in the opening round, but that shouldn’t mean a lack of excitement in the first few days at all. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for all eight matches, including Peyton Stearns vs Camila Giorgi. But who will advance?
WTA Brisbane Day 1 Predictions
Anna Kalinskaya vs Bernarda Pera
Head-to-head: Pera 1-0 Kalinskaya
Bernarda Pera beat Anna Kalinskaya about a year ago in Doha with the match going to a deciding tie-break. The Russian will be favored to exact revenge here though. The 25-year-old finished her 2023 campaign on an extremely high note, making the final at the WTA 125 in Tampico and winning a stacked ITF event in Midland. It’s tough to say whether this form will still be there two months later, but the confidence gathered is enough to give her the edge over Pera here (conditions are more suitable for her game too).
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 2
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova vs Caroline Dolehide
Head-to-head: Dolehide 1-0 Schmiedlova
Soon enough we’ll find out if Caroline Dolehide can push onwards from her stunning run at the WTA 1000 in Guadalajara. The ranking points earned will open up so many avenues that were closed off from her before. She’s won the lone head-to-head meeting with Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in Monterrey in February, but we’ve already established how dangerous she is in altitude conditions. The Australian summer plays pretty fast too, so she might have the edge here.
Prediction: Dolehide in 3
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Cristina Bucsa vs Greet Minnen
Head-to-head: Minnen 2-0 Bucsa
Cristina Bucsa was one of the in-form players in December, making the semifinals in Angers and winning the last WTA 125 event of the season in Limoges. Compared to most other competitors, she actually should be in a great match rhythm from the get go at the WTA Brisbane International. Greet Minnen is such an underrated ball-striker with excellent timing and she has defeated Bucsa twice before. But is that enough to outweigh the form the Spaniard displayed in Limoges? First match of the season I’m leaning toward a no.
Prediction: Bucsa in 3
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Katerina Siniakova vs Sloane Stephens
Head-to-head: first meeting
Katerina Siniakova is coming off a strange 2023 campaign with some injury issues and little consistency, but also three WTA Tour singles finals (two titles). All of this while remaining one of the best doubles players in the world. The Czech has a wide repertoire and can attack the opponent with lots of tactical skill. Against someone who’s as mercurial as Sloane Stephens, it probably makes her the favourite here. The 2017 US Open champion will need one of her good days here.
Prediction: Siniakova in 3
Main photo credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
