Our second set of WTA Bad Homburg day 1 predictions includes the likes of Sloane Stephens and Ludmilla Samsonova. All the players featuring this week will be keen to find form on grass ahead of Wimbledon, even if the Grand Slam won’t be worth any ranking points this year. Russians and Belarusians such as Samsonova will be especially keen to make their mark, as players from those two nations won’t feature at Wimbledon this year. With that in mind, let’s take a look at these four matches and who should win them. As ever, please feel free to share any thoughts or comments you may have using the comment section below!
WTA Bad Homburg Day 1 Predictions
Lucia Bronzetti vs Kaja Juvan
Head-to-head: First meeting
Kaja Juvan is the clear favourite here. The young Slovenian has far more experience on grass and was the junior Wimbledon champion back in 2017. By contrast, Lucia Bronzetti has played just two matches on grass at ITF level or higher in her career. As such, the Italian will likely take a while to adjust to the surface. That isn’t an ideal situation to be in against someone as aggressive as Juvan. Juvan has been a rising star on the tour for some time now and 2022 looks to be the year she cements herself as a top player in the women’s game. I expect good things from here over the coming weeks and she should pick up one of many wins to come right here against Bronzetti.
Prediction: Juvan in 3
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Veronika Kudermetova vs Anna Kalinskaya
Head-to-head: 1 – 0 Kudermetova
Both of these players are having great years on the WTA Tour so it’s a real shame that neither will be featuring in Wimbledon this year. Both Veronika Kudermetova and Anna Kalinskaya are Russian and will be sitting out the third Grand Slam of the year as a result. However, they can still make an impact away from Wimbledon. Both will like their chances of a deep run here if they can overcome this tricky first hurdle. Kudermetova has the superior serve and more power off the ground. However, Kalinskaya has greater variety to her game. Power often wins out on the WTA so I’m backing Kudermetova here, but expect a close fought contest that may well go the distance.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 3
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Ludmilla Samsonova vs Kamilla Rakhimova
Head-to-head: 1 – 0 Samsonova
Samsonova should win this match and do so convincingly. The Russian won her maiden WTA title on grass last year and looked superb in doing so. When players figure out grass they tend to perform well on the surface year in and year out. As such, she should come good on the surface eventually despite a poor start on grass so far. She won’t be featuring in Wimbledon, which means she should be even more determined to make an impact here. Rakhimova is a talented young player who likely has a bright future on the tour. However, I can’t see her being able to handle Samsonova’s power in this one.
Prediction: Samsonova in 2
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Sloane Stephens vs Katie Swan
Head-to-head: First meeting
Katie Swan was once the darling of British tennis and many hoped she would charge into the top 100 at some point in her career. However, that never materialised and the opportunity may well have past her by. A deep run in a tournament like this could change all that, but I don’t think it will happen here. Stephens has found some good tennis in recent weeks and is a Grand Slam champion at her best. At her worst she has been shockingly bad, but those moments seem to be behind her now and she seems more consistent if not yet spectacular. The American isn’t at her most comfortable on grass but she has more than enough talent to make up for that and grab a win here.
Predictions: Stephens in 2
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