Women’s tennis makes its first and only stop on the African continent at the WTA Rabat in Morocco. Day 2 is full of intriguing matchups including a rematch 13 years in the making between Sloane Stephens and veteran Vera Zvonareva. Who do you think will advance? We also look at the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article.
WTA Rabat Day 2 Predictions
Linda Fruhvirtova vs Cagla Buyukakcay
Head-to-head: first meeting
Furhvirtova’s season is in distress. Wins have been hard to come by and she has since dropped outside the Top 50. She has won eight of her 17 matches coming to Rabat. On paper, she has a relatively straightforward match to get back to winning ways against former world #60 Cagla Buyukakcay who is in the twilight of her career. Although the French Open is just days away, Fruhvirtova can still find her footing on the dirt this week.
Prediction: Fruhvirtova in 2
Yulia Putintseva vs Aya El Aouni
Head-to-head: first meeting
It’s nice to see some Moroccan representation in the draw, but some of these wild cards granted to unranked homegrown players just defy logic. El Aouni has played four matches at two W15 ITF tournaments this season and has not scaled beyond the round of 16 in either. This is a complete mismatch and Putintseva will hardly play an easier match all season.
Prediction: Putintseva in 2
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Julia Grabher vs Ysaline Bonaventure
Head-to-head: first meeting
Just three spots separate Julia Grabher from Ysaline Bonaventure in the rankings. But the Austrian’s strong affinity towards clay makes her the clear favorite in this matchup. Grabher is 6-6 on the dirt, but half of those defeats have come against top-20 opposition including a third-set heartbreaker against Kasatkina in Rome. Expect her to claw past the Belgian lefty potentially in three sets.
Prediction: Grabher in 3
Sloane Stephens vs Vera Zvonareva
Head-to-head: Zvonareva 1-0 Stephens
Some of the top players are shrewd in their schedule so as not to overplay with a Grand Slam on the horizon. That is not the case for Sloane Stephens who is the second seed in Rabat and looks to capture her second title in as many weeks. This is a rematch 13 years in the making. Stephens will finally get the chance to even the scores here.
Prediction: Stephens in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
