The WTA Transylvania Open in Cluj is back for its second edition after a strong debut in 2021. WTA Cluj has a weaker field this time around, headlined by Ostrava champion and top seed Barbora Krejcikova. As always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match. Who do you think will win?
WTA Cluj Day 1 Predictions
Varvara Gracheva vs Ysaline Bonaventure
Head-to-head: Bonaventure 1-0 Gracheva
Gracheva has been in incredibly poor form in recent months. The Russian did reach the quarterfinals in Chennai but that has been the only tournament she won a match in since June. Gracheva has lost her opening match in eleven of her last twelve tournaments. After Chennai, the 22-year-old went back to her ways, suffering first-round losses in Seoul and Monastir, winning just one game in her last match against Veronika Kudermetova. One of those aforementioned first-round losses this season came to Bonaventure, the Belgian winning their only previous meeting in Concord.
The 28-year-old is enjoying a strong season, a 42-24 record in 2022. Bonaventure looks likely to continue to bring her form into the indoor hard season if her last tournament is anything to go off. The Belgian defeated Shelby Rogers and Jil Teichmann before taking a set off Anett Kontaveit, reaching the quarterfinals as a qualifier in Talinn. This week, Bonaventure qualified past Kateryna Baindl and Cristina Dinu. On current form, Bonaventure has to be the favorite here.
Prediction: Bonaventure in 2
Anastasia Zakharova vs Anna Blinkova
Head-to-head: Blinkova 1-0 Zakharova
Zakharova has had a strong season on the ITF tours, winning three titles in 2022 and breaking into the Top 200. The 20-year-old has a strong record on indoor hard and has shown two good performances in qualifying, allowing Gabriela Lee and Alexandra Cadantu-Ignatik just nine games combined. Blinkova has also had a strong season on indoor hard, reaching finals at ITF 60s in Andrezieux-Boutheon and Grenoble early in the year. More recently, the 24-year-old qualified in Ostrava last week and achieved the same this week, without dropping a set either time. In Cluj qualifying, Blinkova took out Lesia Tsurenko and Mirjam Bjorklund. She won the previous meeting over Zakharova pretty easily last autumn though the 20-year-old has taken the next step since so I expect a more competitive match with Blinkova still coming out on top.
Prediction: Blinkova in 3
Ana Bogdan vs Jule Niemeier
Head-to-head: first meeting
It has been a strong season for third seed Ana Bogdan, winning a WTA 125 in Iasi and an ITF 60 in Andrezieux-Boutheon, as well as reaching her first WTA final in Warsaw with semifinal runs in Portoroz, Parma, and Paris. Back at a home tournament, Bogdan will be pushing for another deep run. The Romanian as a very tough opponent to open against in Niemeier, though.
The German has shown pedigree on all three surfaces this season, reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, the fourth round at the US Open, and winning a WTA 125 in Makarska on clay. The German has not had the opportunity to show much on indoor hard on the main tour but her game should be well-suited to faster indoor conditions, making this the most exciting match-up of the day. It is a very close call but I will lean towards Niemeier here.
Prediction: Niemeier in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
