Day two at the WTA Strasbourg International should see some fine tennis, with every player in the field in France surely eager to gather some momentum ahead of Roland Garros. We here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for all eleven matches on the slate including Aryna Sabalenka vs Ellen Perez and Lauren Davis vs Jelena Ostapenko. But who will book their place in the second round in Alsace?
WTA Strasbourg International Day Two Predictions
Magda Linette vs Pauline Parmentier
Head-to-head: Parmentier 4-1 Linette
Magda Linette arrives at the WTA Strasbourg International in solid form, having won four of her eight matches since the season resumed, a run highlighted by her third-round showing at the US Open. Pauline Parmentier, in contrast, has played relatively little tennis lately, with her only outing since the season resumed coming at an ITF event in St Malo, where she lost in the second round to the 18-year-old world #186 Maria Camila Osario Serrano.
That is not hugely encouraging for the Frenchwoman heading into this clash with the Pole, who is currently ranked 35th in the world. That said, Parmentier has won four of this pair’s five previous matches, including on the clay in Cagnes-sur-Mer and Katowice. But Parmentier, after an excellent career that has seen her win four titles, is no longer the force she once was and has enjoyed little success at this level recently. Expect Linette to put a dent in the Frenchwoman’s head-to-head lead.
Prediction: Linette in 3
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Ajla Tomljanovic vs Zhang Shuai
Head-to-head: Tomljanovic 3-2 Zhang
In the renewal of what has been a closely contested rivalry, Ajla Tomljanovic will face Zhang Shuai for a place in the second round at the WTA Strasbourg International. Neither woman is in particularly impressive form, with Tomljanovic still looking for her first win since the season resumed, whilst Zhang snapped a five-match losing streak with a hard-fought 7-6 3-6 6-0 win over Storm Sanders to qualify into the main draw in Strasbourg.
That win probably won’t prove to be a turning point in what has been a broadly disappointing season for the Chinese, but it could prove to be the difference here. Tomljanovic has looked lost in recent performances, with her confidence appearing to have evaporated. Zhang, in contrast, will surely be lifted by having got across the line in a match, even if it was in the qualifying against an opponent ranked outside the top 200. In what looks likely to be a scrappy affair, that could be crucial.
Prediction: Zhang in 3
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Anna Blinkova vs Myrtille Georges
Head-to-head: Blinkova 1-0 Georges
Anna Blinkova may have endured a disappointing summer in North America, with her only win coming thanks to Kristie Ahn’s retirement in the first round at the Top Seed Open in Lexington. But she was back to something more like her best in Rome, coming through the qualifying with straight-sets wins over Stefanie Voegele and Lexington finalist Jil Teichmann, before beating Aliona Bolsova in the first round of the main draw.
Her run was then brought to a swift halt by defending champion Karolina Pliskova, but there is no shame in that. Myrtille Georges, meanwhile, was thrashed by Christina McHale in the qualifying in Strasbourg, in what was her first match since February. She was given a reprieve as a lucky loser, but it is hard to see her taking advantage of it. Blinkova won this pair’s only previous meeting in 2016 and the Russian has improved in the intervening four years whilst Georges’ career has stalled.
Prediction: Blinkova in 2
Editor’s note: An opponent for Ekaterina Alexandrova, who is due to face a lucky loser, has not yet been announced.
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