San Jose State University will play host to the Silicon Valley Open starting tomorrow. Two time champion Venus Williams accepted a wildcard into the event, along with compatriots CoCo Vandeweghe and Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Harmony Tan, Kristie Ahn and Mayo Hibi secured main draw spots winning their qualifier matches today. Timea Babos was up 5-2 when Liang En-shuo retired. Garbine Muguruza withdrew with a leg injury which hampered her Wimbledon bid.
The Silicon Valley Open has a strong field of contenders this year. Here’s a look at the opening day matches and the best guesses on who will punch their ticket for the second round.
Silicon Valley Open Day 1 Predictions
Carla Suarez Navarro vs Magda Linette
Head to head: First meeting
Carla Suarez Navarro doesn’t give away a lot of free points. The Spaniard makes her opponents work for their wins. The #6 seed starts against the unpredictable Magda Linette. Poland’s Linette can create some surprising upsets with her ability to work her way into even the strongest servers’ games. This won’t be an easy go for the Spaniard, and I expect some long rallies. But the consistency of Suarez Navarro will most likely wear down Linette.
Prediction: Suarez Navarro in 3
Ajla Tomljanovic vs Kristie Ahn
Head to head: First meeting
Kristie Ahn arrived in the main draw through qualifiers, winning both matches in straight sets. But, Tomljanovic is a formidable opponent – a very tough first round draw for Ahn. Tomljanovic has had some difficulty with her service, with far too many double faults. But, the rest of the Aussie’s game is solid and she should have little trouble exiting the American.
Prediction: Tomljanovic in 2
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Maria Sakkari
Head to head: Alexandrova 0-2 Sakkari
Maria Sakkari will be looking for another deep run in San Jose. Her title quest was thwarted by Mihaela Buzarnescu last year. The Grecian starts her campaign against the hard hitting Russian, Ekaterina Alexandrova. Fortunately, Sakkari absorbs pace well and can cleverly redirect. This is a dangerous match for Sakkari, as Alexandrova tends to play her best on the hard courts and would like nothing better than to bounce the #7 seed for a second round appearance. Sakkari will have a bit of a battle here, but should be able to get through the Russian.
Prediction: Sakkari in 2
Marie Bouzkova vs CoCo Vandeweghe
Head to head: First meeting
Receiving a wild card, CoCo Vandeweghe will make her return to the WTA tour in San Jose. Ankle and foot injuries have kept the feisty American out of action since October 2018. It’s a good sign that Vandeweghe played for the San Diego Aviators in last week’s World TeamTennis match. Yet, it will be a struggle to regain her form after being sidelined for nearly a year.
Bouzkova is coming off an ITF title run in Kazakhstan, a confidence boost as she starts her campaign for her first WTA title. It will be important for the Czech to capitalize on Vandeweghe’s second serve. CoCo is a strong server, but should have some fits and starts after a year away – and, that will be Bouzkova’s opening. A healthy and in-form Vandeweghe would have little difficulty knocking out the Czech. It’s doubtful CoCo’s game will be at 100%. Not an easy day at the office for either, but Bouzkova has nothing to lose and will play with freedom.
Prediction: Bouzkova in 3
Mihaela Buzarnescu vs Daria Kasatkina
Head to head: First meeting
It’s impossible to figure out what Kasatkina will do from one match to the next when her serve is as unpredictable as she is. Year to date, Kasatkina has served 22 aces. Not a bad stat, but the 100 double faults simply give too many free points to hungry opponents. It’s really difficult to string together a few wins when the Russian’s serve is broke 50% of the time. If Kasatkina could fix that troublesome portion of her game, we’d see the 22-year-old jump back up to her Top 10 ranking achieved in October 2018.
Buzarnescu’s form is a long way from the World #20 player of last year, now close to dropping out of the Top 100. The Romanian is undoubtedly talent – she pushed the 2019 Wimbledon champion Simona Halep to a decider in the third round in London. Another case of unpredictability and inconsistency. Buzarnescu is the defending champion at this tournament and I expect she’ll bring her A game in her campaign for her second Silicon Valley title.
Prediction: Buzarnescu in 3
Disagree with our Silicon Valley Open predictions? As always, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
