It was a memorable run from Jelena Ostapenko at the WTA 250 in Birmingham last year as the 2017 Roland Garros champion won four deciding sets in a row. That’s very fitting for her playstyle and the type of matches she tends to be involved in. This time, the top seed kicks off her campaign against Elisabetta Cocciaretto. We also predict the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article. Who do you think will prevail?
WTA Birmingham Day 1 Predictions
Yue Yuan vs Sloane Stephens
Head-to-head: 1-1
They’ve already played twice this year with Yue Yuan winning a close encounter on hard courts and Sloane Stephens dominating on the indoor clay in Rouen. This surface should give the Chinese a better shot than clay with her aggressive game and forehand shotmaking potential. She defeated Diana Shnaider last week in Den Bosch and qualified for Wimbledon in 2023. But let’s not forget Stephens can be great on grass too if she’s motivated, this isn’t obvious at all.
Prediction: Yuan in 3
Camila Osorio vs Viktorija Golubic
Head-to-head: Golubic 2-0
Viktorija Golubic’s game doesn’t instantly scream out “huge grass potential,” but the Swiss is a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist and almost always handles herself well on this surface. Both she and Camila Osorio managed to make it through the qualifying this week and only one of them can survive. It seems like for Golubic, the problem players on this surface are the ones with overwhelming power. She’s usually fine when there’s less pressure and that should be the case here.
Prediction: Golubic in 3
Ajla Tomljanovic vs Anna Blinkova
Head-to-head: Tomljanovic 2-0
Ajla Tomljanovic is still struggling to stay fit, although her recent run in Surbiton certainly looked promising. She didn’t defeat anyone from the top of the sport, but remained sharp over fine matches. The Australian beat Anna Blinkova on grass back in 2018, which probably doesn’t carry much relevance to this day. This might be an opportunity for Tomljanovic to get some momentum going as Blinkova had a bit of a nightmare in her first grass match of 2024 last week.
Prediction: Tomljanovic in 3
Jelena Ostapenko vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto
Head-to-head: First meeting
This will be the first match on grass for Jelena Ostapenko this year. The Latvian is the defending champion in Birmingham, winning the title in 2023 after a crazy run with four deciding sets won in a row. That’s how it tends to be with her hit-or-miss nature, but generally speaking she tends to be very comfortable on the grass. Elisabetta Cocciaretto will try to use her footwork and consistency to lure out errors from Ostapenko. Her weaponry is nowhere near the level of the top seed though.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
