Diana Shnaider made headlines at the WTA 250 in Budapest last year by eliminating the defending champion, Bernarda Pera. Now she’s coming back to the event ranked World No. 28 and top-seeded. The opening round will see her take on wild card Fanny Stollar. Will Shnaider overcome her first challenger comfortably? We also predict the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article.
WTA Budapest Day 2 Predictions
Rebecca Sramkova vs Miriam Bulgaru
Head-to-head: Bulgaru 2-0
Rebecca Sramkova has long had a high ceiling but couldn’t quite access it week in, week out. That seems to be changing now after the Slovak’s run at the WTA 1000 in Rome. She still has something to prove though if she wants to stabilize inside the Top 100 soon. This event could provide her with that opportunity, but she has to avoid another loss to Miriam Bulgaru after getting eliminated by her twice in ITF events in 2022.
Prediction: Sramkova in 2
Ekaterina Makarova vs Timea Babos
Head-to-head: Babos 1-0
Timea Babos used to be ranked as high as World No. 25 in singles and triumphed in this event back in 2017. Since then her career has taken a completely different path though and she actually hasn’t won a match in her last three appearances in Budapest. This seems like a solid opportunity though. Her match against Ekaterina Makarova in Dubai earlier this year was straightforward 6-2 6-2 and she should be able to take her down again at home.
Prediction: Babos in 2
Olga Danilovic vs Anna Bondar
Head-to-head: First meeting
From time to time Olga Danilovic makes some big waves and her Roland Garros performance once again left us thinking about her potential. But the challenge is to start doing this consistently. Anna Bondar in the opening round here is far from an easy out. The Hungarian has already picked up a couple of strong ITF titles earlier this year and made the semifinals at her home WTA 250 two years ago. But if Danilovic can find some of her peak level again…
Prediction: Danilovic in 3
Diana Shnaider vs Fanny Stollar
Head-to-head: First meeting
While it’s been a while since Fanny Stollar was regarded as a solid prospect, the Hungarian actually produced her best Budapest run last year when she made the quarterfinals. It won’t be easy to repeat that achievement, particularly as she’s facing the top seed here. Diana Shnaider is up to World No. 28 after a phenomenal grass-court swing and should be a big threat on tour going forward. Stollar might simply be a bit outmatched here.
Prediction: Shnaider in 2
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
