WTA Palermo, the tournament where tennis restarted back in 2020, is back for another edition. First-round action continues here and as always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match. Who do you think will win?
WTA Palermo Day 2
Anna Bondar vs Clara Burel
Head-to-head: Bondar 1-1 Burel
Bondar broke the Top 50 for the first time in her career after a semifinal run at her home tournament in Budapest, including a win over Martina Trevisan who is the top seed in Palermo this week. The Hungarian has had a great rise over the past two seasons, largely based on clay runs. Burel did break a four-match losing streak last week in Lausanne, beating Lin Zhu, but did not trouble Sara Sorribes Tormo in the second round. The two faced off twice at clay ITFs last season, Bondar winning three out of the five sets. On current form, I expect the Hungarian to win here.
Prediction: Bondar in 2
Panna Udvardy vs Lucrezia Stefanini
Head-to-head: first meeting
After a 74-win season in 2021, Udvardy has struggled to make the transition to the main tour, earning a 13-23 record this year. The Hungarian has managed to string some wins together on clay, such as a quarterfinal in Bastad two weeks ago, but is still yet to look like a title threat anywhere this season. Stefanini has also had a losing record this season, suffering two lengthy losing streaks earlier in the year. The Italian has limited experience on the main tour so Udvardy should be the favorite here.
Prediction: Udvardy in 2
Asia Muhammad vs Nuria Parrizas-Diaz
Head-to-head: first meeting
Muhammad, largely a doubles specialist at this point in her career, won three ITF 25 titles in Australia earlier this season, keeping her inside the Top 200 in singles. In doubles, the American is Top 40 but has qualified for her first WTA main draw of the season after a walkover from Louisa Chirico. Parrizas-Diaz is not having the best season, coming in with a five-match losing streak, but should be good enough on the day to deal with Muhammad, especially on clay. The Spaniard needs to start racking up results to keep herself in the Top 100 and this should be a good opportunity.
Prediction: Parrizas-Diaz in 3
Wang Xinyu vs Julia Grabher
Head-to-head: first meeting
Wang has not played in over a month, since her second-round run in Berlin. The 20-year-old had a surprisingly good result on clay earlier in the year, winning an ITF 100 in La Bisbal. Grabher is having another solid season on clay ITFs but the Austrian enters the Palermo main draw as a lucky loser, taking a loss to Leolia Jeanjean. Grabher gets a second chance here and it is tough to know what to expect from Wang but I think the Chinese player will advance here.
Prediction: Wang in 3
Sara Errani vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto
Head-to-head: Cocciaretto 1-0 Errani
An intriguing all-Italian derby here. The 35-year-old Errani is far off her best at this point in her career but Palermo used to be her happy place, winning the title here in 2008 and 2012 while reaching two more finals. The Italian is coming in with good form, winning the WTA 125 in Contrexeville last week. Cocciaretto, a quarterfinalist in Palermo from 2020, is enjoying a good season. The 21-year-old reached the final at a WTA 125 in Makarska while winning two ITF titles. The youngster won their previous meeting back in 2019 but on current form, I see the veteran as a favorite here.
Prediction: Errani in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
