After a thrilling US Open, the action continues at the WTA Portoroz Open on Slovenia’s Adriatic coast. There are 12 matches on the slate on day two and, as ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match, including Petra Martic vs Kaja Juvan and Jaqueline Cristian vs Yulia Putintseva. But who will book their place in the second round?
WTA Portoroz Day 2 Predictions
Alison Riske vs Pia Lovric
Head-to-head: first meeting
It has hardly been a season to remember for Alison Riske, with the American having struggled with injury for much of 2021 and found wins very hard to come by. She has played only 15 matches so far this year and won just four of them. She did, however, dismiss US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez 6-2 6-2 in the first round in Cincinnati, a victory she may well be able to draw real confidence from following the Canadian’s recent exploits.
Regardless, this is surely a match she should be winning. Pia Lovric has almost no experience of tennis at this level, with the Slovenian young gun yet to break into the world’s top 600. She has been playing good tennis at ITF-level, reaching back-to-back finals in her last two outings, but Riske will present a significant step-up in the quality of her opposition. Lovric looks to have a good future, but expect this to be a challenge too far too soon for the 19-year-old.
Prediction: Riske in 2
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Danka Kovinic vs Anna Kalinskaya
Head-to-head: Kovinic 1-0 Kalinskaya
Danka Kovinic arrives at the WTA Portoroz Open in no kind of form at all. The Montenegrin has not won a match since beating Clara Burel in the first round at the French Open and there has been little sign that she will turn it around soon. Anna Kalinskaya has hardly been in scintillating form herself, but the Russian has at least managed to get some wins on the board, reaching the second round at the US Open and the quarterfinals at the W25 Leiria event where she was the top seed. She should have too much for the struggling Kovinic.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 3
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Viktoria Kuzmova vs Tereza Mrdeza
Head-to-head: Kuzmova 1-1 Mrdeza
It has been a deeply disappointing season for Viktoria Kuzmova. The Slovakian has been ranked as high as world #43, but currently finds herself on the edge of falling outside the top 150 at 149th in the WTA rankings. However, this has been an encouraging week so far for the 23-year-old. In the first round of qualifying, she hammered Italy’s Stefania Rubin before battling past another Italian in Lucrezia Stefani to book her place in the main draw.
She will now be hoping to avenge the 2-6 2-6 defeat she suffered at Tereza Mrdeza’s hands on the clay in La Bisbal D’Emporda earlier this season. But the Croatian will also be match-sharp after coming through the qualifying with three-set wins over Lina Gjorcheska and Emina Bektas. But it is surely Kuzmova who has the higher ceiling of the two. Mrdeza has never had a double-digit ranking after all and currently sits outside the top 200. Kuzmova should have the edge.
Prediction: Kuzmova in 3
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Cristiana Ferrando vs Tamara Zidansek
Head-to-head: first meeting
Tamara Zidansek continues to look far more comfortable on the clay than she does on hard courts. But the Slovenian has the talent to make an impact on hard courts and the recent signs have been broadly encouraging, not least her first-round win over Bernarda Pera at the US Open. Her campaign in New York was then brought to a swift end by Aryna Sabalenka, but she is unlikely to meet any opponents of that calibre this week.
Cristiana Ferrando certainly cannot match Sabalenka for power. But the Italian’s chances should not be entirely discounted here after victories over top seed Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove and 11th seed Yuliya Hatouka. Still, this may ask too much of Ferrando, who has played only a handful of WTA-level tournaments and is making just her second appearance in the main draw on the main tour. Zidansek, even away from her preferred clay, should be comfortable here.
Prediction: Zidansek in 2
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