The WTA Brisbane International is back on the schedule after four years. Eight singles matches will begin main draw action on New Year’s Eve and, in keeping with the festive season, there are some potential crackers ahead. As always, we here at LWOT are offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Katerina Siniakova vs Sloane Stephens. But who will prevail?
WTA Brisbane Day 1 Predictions
Arina Rodionova vs Martina Trevisan
Head-to-head: Trevisan 1-0 Rodionova
When they played two years ago, Martina Trevisan barely scraped through in Dubai. But she seems to have made considerable hard-court progress since and Arina Rodionova remains outside the top 100. The Australian veteran is close to her career-high ranking though with seven ITF titles picked up in 2023. There’s a reason why she’s never made it to the main tour, but this mature version of her game is maybe the best she’s ever played. Nonetheless, Trevisan is a big step up.
Prediction: Trevisan in 2
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Ana Bogdan vs Marta Kostyuk
Head-to-head: first meeting
Marta Kostyuk has been on the verge of a bigger breakthrough for a while now, but there’s no denying she made important progress in 2023. We actually haven’t seen her competing professionally in almost two months, but the 21-year-old was showing up here or there in the exhibition season and we know she’s ready to play. Her upside is much stronger than Ana Bogdan’s and especially on a hard court that should allow her to claim this match.
Prediction: Kostyuk in 2
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Diana Shnaider vs Mirra Andreeva
Head-to-head: first meeting
This will be quite a duel between two promising Russian youngsters. Mirra Andreeva is three years younger, but you could definitely argue she’s already achieved more than Diana Shnaider and is likely headed for a much more illustrious career. After such a wonderful introduction to the WTA Tour in 2023, we can expect big things from her this year already. Getting a win over a fellow up-and-comer would be a solid start to her campaign.
Prediction: Andreeva in 2
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Peyton Stearns vs Camila Giorgi
Head-to-head: first meeting
Peyton Stearns made a very quick leap to the top 100 after winning the NCAA championships in 2022 and we’ve gotten used to her at the top level by now. But has she already unleashed her full potential? Probably not and when the forehand is clicking she can be a deadly force. Camila Giorgi will have to be on top of her game here as the American has previously shown the ability to take away the first strike from an opponent who absolutely thrives on it.
Prediction: Stearns in 3
Main photo credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
