The few top players in WTA Granby look poised for a deep run thanks to a weak draw. However, the same cannot be said for those taking part in WTA Cleveland. The main draw features a healthy mix of established top players and rising stars, with most in or very near the top 100 in the game. Top seeds Barbora Krejcikova and Martina Trevisan will be keen for deep runs. However, the likes of Clara Tauson and Varvara Gracheva will be looking to upset the status quo. In this set of WTA Cleveland day 2 predictions we cover five of the matches taking place on Monday. Be sure to see our other prediction set for a look at the other five.
WTA Cleveland Day 2 Predictions
Clara Tauson vs Harmony Tan
Head-to-head: First meeting
Harmony Tan had the moment of her career when she beat Serena Williams in the first round of Wimbledon at the end of June. She went on two win three matches there and would be ranked a lot higher than #110 if points were awarded for that run. Unfortunately that isn’t the case, so she had to qualify for this tournament. She did so comfortably with two straight sets wins. Her reward is a tough first round against rising star Clara Tauson. The young Danish star looks like a future perennial contender for big tournaments. She already has two WTA titles to her name at just 19. She has more power and a better serve than Tan, both of which will pay dividends on these courts. Tan will have to look elsewhere for the points she needs to crack the top 100 because she isn’t getting them here.
Prediction: Tauson in 2
Anhelina Kalinina vs Laura Siegemund
Head-to-head: 1 – 0 Siegemund
This match is far closer than it appears on paper. Laura Siegemund is a former top 50 player who is working her way back from injury issues. However, that doesn’t mean she isn’t up against it here. Anhelina Kalinina is in the form of her life having lifted five ITF titles last year. She has slowed a little in 2022, but still looks like she belongs on the WTA Tour. She is also a better hard court player than the German and should be able to scrape out a hard fought win here.
Prediction: Kalinina in 3
Varvara Gracheva vs Madison Brengle
Head-to-head: First meeting
Gracheva comes into this match on the back of eight defeats in a row. The Russian is desperate for a win and some kind of form. However, she faces an uphill battle to grab one here against the ever-consistent Madison Brengle. The American has enjoyed the best spell of her career over the last 12-18 months. her form has dipped slightly though, and she is ripe for the taking in this match. I expect Gracheva to fight with all she’s got for a win she desperately needs. That should be enough to see her over the line in this one.
Prediction Gracheva in 3
Lauren Davis vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Head-to-head: 1 – 0 Alexandrova
Ekaterina Alexandrova is one of the more streaky players on the WTA Tour and that makes calling her matches difficult. On her day, she can hit anyone off a court provided it has a bit of pace. When she’s off though, she’s a mess of errors and double faults that is difficult to watch. Which version we get very much defines how this match will go. She lifted a title on grass recently and that suggests she is enjoying her tennis at the moment. As such, I expect her power to be too much for Lauren Davis here. The American is a great counterpuncher and mover on the court. Nevertheless, accurate power almost always wins on fast hard courts and Alexandrova has the advantage there.
Prediction: Alexandrova in 2
Elise Mertens vs Sorana Cirstea
Head-to-head: 3 – 0 Cirstea
Elise Mertens has gone off the boil a bit in the last year or so. The Belgian was playing immense tennis and knocking on the door of the top ten from 2018 to early 2021. Since then she has slowly slipped down the pecking order and currently sits at #32 in the world. This matchup isn’t good for her either. Sorana Cirstea has won all three of their previous encounters. She’s also at her highest ranking since 2017 and playing some of her best tennis this year. Mertens has the game to trouble anyone on her day, but we haven’t seen that level in a while. Cirstea looks perfectly poised to cause another upset here and extend her win streak against Mertens to four.
Prediction: Cirstea in 3
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