The WTA Tour returns to Greece for the first time in 35 years with the Athens Open, played at the Athens Olympic Tennis Centre. This article features Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng and #5 seed Sara Bejlek. As always, we at LWOT will offer predictions for every match on the slate, but who will advance?
WTA Athens Day 1 Predictions
Lilli Tagger vs Marianne Argyrokastriti
Head-to-Head: first meeting
18-year-old Lilli Tagger hasn’t won a Tour-level match since making the quarterfinals of Linz in April and will be looking to get back on track. She has a winnable first-round match on paper against wild card Marianne Argyrokastriti, who is ranked #740 in the world and will make her Tour-level debut. She will get the support from the crowd, but Tagger has already made a final on hard court and is the better player of the two.
Prediction: Tagger in 2
Harriet Dart vs Mina Hodzic
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Harriet Dart has had some success at the ITF level this season, but on the main tour, she has only won two matches. Her form and rankings have dropped considerably since 2024, and her confidence level might not be high right now. Mina Hodzic easily qualified for the main draw with a couple of strong performances. She has never played a main-draw match on the WTA Tour and has excelled more on clay courts at the lower level. Dart is not in great touch, but I still back her to win against world No. 333.
Prediction: Dart in 3
Sara Bejlek vs Viktoria Morvayova
Head-to-Head: first meeting
20-year-old Sara Bejlek has already won a hard-court title this season, which helped her get inside the Top 50. She has a bright future and could be a dangerous player this week if she can play her best tennis. Viktoria Morvayova comes through qualifying and will play her second Tour-level match. She won just one game in her first Tour-level match earlier this season and will be hoping to put up a better performance. However, the gap between these two players is quite large, and Bejlek should win comfortably.
Prediction: Bejlek in 2
Qinwen Zheng vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Former World No.4 Qinwen Zheng is still searching for her form since returning from injury. She has fallen outside the Top 100, and getting back in would be her first goal. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro comes in with much better form, winning consecutive matches in two different tournaments on grass, including at Wimbledon. However, her results on hard court have been disappointing this season, and Zheng should be able to capitalize.
Prediction: Zheng in 3
Main Photo Credit: Andrew P. Scott-USA TODAY Sports
