There is a busy day of action scheduled for the second day of the WTA Rouen Open. 2021 French Open runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova begins her 2024 clay court season as the top seed in Rouen. We at LWOT predict the other day two matches from the event in a separate article, including Caroline Garcia vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto. But who will advance?
WTA Rouen Day 2 Predictions
Anna Blinkova vs Natalija Stefanovic
Head-to-head: first meeting
Anna Blinkova’s results have been quite mixed since winning one of the greatest tiebreaks of all-time to beat Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open. This is set to be her first match on clay. The world #159 Natalija Stefanovic was a clay court specialist in the early stages of her career. However, nearly all her success has come on hard courts or on grass since then. The Serbian lacks the firepower to trouble her opponent if she is close to her best. Blinkova should prevail at the WTA Rouen Open in straight sets.
Prediction: Blinkova in 2
Alize Cornet vs Anhelina Kalinina
Head-to-head: Kalinina 1-0 Cornet
Alize Cornet’s fighting spirit is as strong as it has ever been. However, the 34-year-old has lost some of her athleticism, which was such an important part of her game. Cornet’s favourite surface is still clay and she will have a home crowd supporting her. Anhelina Kalinina has been inconsistent this season. The Ukrainian has registered wins against Emma Raducanu, Aryna Sabalenka and twice against Caroline Wozniacki, but she has also suffered some upsets. Overall though, her greater firepower and Cornet being slower than she used to be should see Kalinina to vicotry at the WTA Rouen Open.
Prediction: Kalinina in 2
Yuan Yue vs Mayar Sherif
Head-to-head: Sherif 1-0 Yuan
It has been a great start to the season for Yuan Yue. She won her maiden title in Austin and also reached the quarterfinal in Indian Wells. Yet, she has not had much success on clay in the past. By contrast, Mayar Sherif is a true clay court specialist. The only doubt about the Egyptian is a lack of match sharpness, due to injury problems she has had this year. This is likely to be close, but Sherif gets a slight edge. Her natural flair on clay is likely to be enough, despite her lack of match practice.
Prediction: Sherif in 3
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Alice Robbe
Head-to-head: first meeting
Recent signs have been promising for Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal on a hard court in 14 years in Doha in February and then backed that up with some consistent tennis during the Sunshine Double. It is the most confident she has looked since her run to the French Open final nearly three years ago. This is a major challenge for the world #265 and wildcard Alice Robbe. It will be a great experience for her development regardless of the outcome at the WTA Rouen Open, which is likely to be a Pavlyuchenkova win.
Prediction: Pavyluchenkova in 2
Main photo credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
