There will be plenty of exciting matches on day one of the WTA Strasbourg. The last women’s tournament before Roland Garros has attracted a strong pool of players, with former champion Barbora Krejcikova included in the field. She will play her first tournament of the season after recovering from a back injury. Who will win their first-round matches?
WTA Strasbourg Day 1 Predictions
Marie Bouzkova vs Caroline Dolehide
Head-to-head: Dolehide 2-0 Bouzkova
This is one of the most interesting qualifying matches of the day. On paper, Bouzkova starts as the favorite but has lost both head-to-head meetings against Dolehide. One of those was a French Open qualifying match seven years ago. The American is a massive server and tends to use a vast array of shots on this surface to grind down her opponents. She’s also a doubles expert and will use every opportunity to patrol the net. However, she lacks the consistency to win cheap points on clay. If Bouzkova sorts her profligacy, she’ll have this match under control, but do not rule out Dolehide from taking a set.
Prediction: Bouzkova in 3
Linda Noskova vs Liudmila Samsonova
Head-to-head: Noskova 1-1 Samsonova
Noskova and Samsonova have struggled to find their footing in this year’s clay swing. The Czech is only 3-3 on the surface although a couple of those defeats were inflicted by top 10 players (Iga Swiatek and Mirra Andreeva). Samsonova has been largely underwhelming with one win from four matches. Looking at the surface potential and higher upside, Noskova has to be the favorite to progress.
Prediction: Noskova in 3
Barbora Krejcikova vs Magda Linette
Head-to-head: Krejcikova 3-0 Linette
Krejcikova hasn’t played since the WTA Finals last November. She’s been recovering from a serious back injury. While the Czech was away, Linette was slowly climbing into the Top 40, falling just short of a seeding spot for the French Open (although she could potentially clinch a top 32 seeding if there is one withdrawal). Krejcikova is a perfect 3-0 against the Pole, but her lengthy absence from the tour leaves her extremely short of match sharpness.
Prediction: Linette in 2
