It promises to be an exciting first day at the WTA Guadalajara Open, the final 1000-level event of the season. There are 12 first-round matches on the schedule in Mexico and, as always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match, including Sloane Stephens vs Linda Fruhvirtova and Belinda Bencic vs Leylah Fernandez. But who will secure a spot in the second round?
WTA Guadalajara Day 1 Predictions
Zhu Lin vs Alize Cornet
Head-to-head: Cornet 1-0 Zhu
This will be the second meeting between Alize Cornet and Zhu Lin. It’s hard to draw many conclusions from the first which was played three years ago and ended when Zhu retired trailing 6-7 0-4. But it is certainly Cornet who comes into this match in the better form. The Frenchwoman impressed in reaching the final in Monastir, though she did lose in one-sided fashion there, and also reached the semifinals in Cincinnati and the third round at the US Open. Zhu lost in the qualifying in New York and in her opener in Monastir either side of a quarterfinal showing in Seoul. If this match follows the form book, it should be a comfortable enough day at the office for Cornet.
Prediction: Cornet in 2
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Bianca Andreescu vs Jil Teichmann
Head-to-head: Andreescu 1-1 Teichmann
Bianca Andreescu may not be the force she once was (or indeed threatened to be in a stellar 2019 season), but the Canadian remains a dangerous opponent when she is healthy. She has shown that much with some solid recent performances, including an excellent 6-2 6-3 win over Beatriz Haddad Maia in the second round at the US Open. The issue for Andreescu has been that those wins have been followed by too many poor performances. But Jil Teichmann has not even been winning matches (at tour-level at least) with the Swiss in miserable form. That rather suggests that even if Andreescu is not at her best, she should have enough here.
Prediction: Andreescu in 2
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Asia Muhammad vs Elise Mertens
Head-to-head: Mertens 2-0 Muhammad
Elise Mertens may be unseeded, but the Belgian is one to watch this week at the WTA Guadalajara Open. It had been a largely disappointing season for Mertens, but she found a rich vein of form in Monastir, storming to the title and, if she can maintain that level, she will take some stopping here. Will Asia Muhammad be the player to do that? Probably not. She did impress in qualifying wins over Elizabeth Mandlik and Laura Pigossi, but Mertens is a real step up in the quality of opposition. One that will probably be too steep for Muhammad to manage.
Prediction: Mertens in 2
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Ajla Tomljanovic vs Fernanda Contreras Gomez
Head-to-head: first meeting
Fernanda Contreras Gomez will be able to count on the support of the crowd here and she may well need it up against Ajla Tomljanovic. The Australian has had another solid season highlighted by her run to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the US Open. The major concern for her coming into this match will be fitness after she was forced to withdraw in the second set of her second-round clash with Iga Swiatek in Ostrava earlier this month. But if she is fit, expect her to get the better of the Mexican here. After all, there is more than 100 places between them in the rankings for a reason.
Prediction: Tomljanovic in 2
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