The WTA tour heads to the Canary Islands for the first time this week. First-round action begins on Monday at the inaugural WTA Tenerife Open, a 250-level event. Though there’s only a handful of matches to look at on Monday as we ease into the tournament, there should still be plenty of entertaining tennis. But who will reach the second round?
WTA Tenerife Day 1 Predictions
Marta Kostyuk vs Irina-Camelia Begu
Head-to-head: Begu 1-0 Kostyuk
An evenly poised matchup to begin the day. There are just a few ranking points separating Marta Kostyuk and Irina-Camelia Begu, Kostyuk sitting at #58, Begu at #61. This is seemingly an accurate reflection of how even this match-up is. Begu won their only previous meeting 2-6 6-1 7-5 at an ITF event in Cairo early last year. Begu is having a surprisingly strong season on hard courts.
The Romanian has reached 3 hard court tour level quarterfinals this year, 14 of her 19 main draw victories have come on hard courts. At 19 years of age, Kostyuk has more talent and potential, at 31 years of age Begu is vastly more experienced at this level. But the Romanian should have the edge here given her good form of late, which includes a run to the final in Cleveland and a third-round showing in Indian Wells last week.
Prediction: Begu in 3
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Nuria Parrizas-Diaz vs Ann Li
Head-to-head: first meeting
Nuria Parrizas-Diaz has seen her ranking dramatically rise in 2021 thanks to the 53 victories she has secured. The majority of the Spaniard’s victories have come at the ITF level, but she’s also had some success at the tour level including a couple of quarterfinal showings in Bogota and Gdynia. The 30-year-old won the biggest tile of her career last month when she captured the WTA 125K title in Columbus, highlighting her ability away from her preferred clay court surface.
Ann Li, meanwhile, hasn’t had much success since an injury layoff earlier this year halted the considerable momentum she was building. Nevertheless, this matchup looks like a good matchup for the American. She is probably a class above the Spaniard, especially on a hard court, and it feels like Li is due for a decent showing at this level, perhaps this could be the week she really turns things around.
Prediction: Li in 3
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Kaja Juvan vs Anna Karolina Schmiedlova
Head-to-head: Schmiedlova 2-0 Juvan
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova has a perfect record against Juvan. Schmiedlova claimed a 7-5 1-6 6-4 victory on clay in Istanbul last year, more recently the Slovakian prevailed 7-6 6-0 in Cluj-Napoca, again on clay. Juvan probably has a better chance in this matchup away from the clay. Schmiedlova’s recent form isn’t great, she arrives in Tenerife with four consecutive losses to her name.
Kaja Juvan enters the main draw as a lucky loser having succumbed to Aliona Bolsova 6-4 6-7 6-7 in the final round of qualifying in a match lasting just under three hours. Juvan will have less than 24 hours to recover from that marathon match, this looks like another tough workout for her against a consistent player that she has struggled against in the past. Expect Schmiedlova to eventually ware down the resistance of the Slovenian.
Prediction: Schmiedlova in 3
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Tamara Zidansek vs Jacqueline Cristian
Head-to-head: first meeting
Tamara Zidansek hasn’t enjoyed much success since her historic clay court season. The 23-year-old reached new heights when she made the semifinals at Roland Garros in June, that result was backed up by a maiden title run in Lausanne. Success hasn’t been as easy to come by on the hard courts for the Slovenian who has won just four of her last ten matches.
Jacqueline Cristian looks like a potentially dangerous opponent for Zidansek. The Romanian cruised through the qualifying draw at the WTA Tenerife Open with straight set wins over Mona Barthel (6-1 6-1) and Lesley Kerkhove (6-3 6-2). Cristian made the semi-finals in Nur-Sultan a few weeks ago, her best result on tour. Nevertheless, expect Zidansek to find a way through here: these are the types of matches she simply must be winning to justify her place in the world’s top 40.
Prediction: Zidansek in 3
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