Paris Olympics Day 1 Women’s Predictions Including Iga Swiatek vs Irina-Camelia Begu

We are all set for tennis at the Paris Olympics as draw heats up fast, with 18 Women’s Singles matches on Day 1. As always, we here at LWOT will predict every match for you. We split the 18 women’s matches between five articles. In addition to this one, the other four feature Danielle Collins vs Laura Siegemund, Naomi Osaka vs Angelique Kerber, Bianca Andreescu vs Clara Tauson, and Karolina Muchova vs Leylah Fernandez. Predicting these matches are Jordan Reynolds, Andreas Pelekis, and Yesh Ginsburg. Who do you think will keep their medal hopes alive?

As a special for the Olympics, we will also be predicting all of the other Day 1 matches, including doubles. We will link to our other Olympic predictions at the bottom of the article. Enjoy!

Paris Olympics Day 1 Women’s Predictions

Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) vs Camila Osorio (Colombia)

Jordan:
This is a tricky first-round match for the 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko. Osorio plays her best tennis by far on clay and possesses a gritty style that could frustrate Ostapenko. The Colombian’s lack of variety to change the pace might be a stumbling block that stops her causing an upset, but this could be tight.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 3

Andreas:
Ostapenko will try to hit her way through Osorio, but Osorio tends to play well at surprising times; she also has four Top 20 wins to her name during her young career. Expect Ostapenko to struggle with consistency in the early stages, before winning in three.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 3

Yesh:
This should be an incredible first-round match. Osorio is good and her form has been fine recently. She can challenge Ostapenko, who is finally finding some consistency. If the Colombian gets enough balls back, it might rattle the 2017 French Open champ.
Prediction: Osorio in 3

Petra Martic (Croatia) vs Cristina Bucsa (Spain)

Jordan:
Croatian veteran Martic played solid tennis in her warmup tournaments before the Olympics. Her two losses were to Qinwen Zheng in Palermo, who went on to win the title, and Elina Avanesyan in Iasi, who then reached the final. Martic was competitive in those matches and I think she will have a bit too much class for Bucsa, whose game is not a natural fit for clay.
Prediction: Martic in 3

Andreas:
Both players are making their debut at the Olympics, but Martic has far stronger a resume to her name. It’s been a tough season for both players, however. Expect the Croat to win in a close one with her bigger serve and tricky forehand.
Prediction: Martic in 3

Yesh:
This should be a fun, close battle between two talented women. Martic has way more upside. Bucsa has been more consistent recently. I’ll take the Croat.
Prediction: Martic in 3

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Iga Swiatek (Poland) vs Irina-Camelia Begu (Romania)

Jordan:
Begu will be feeling very unlucky. She had a good run to the semifinal in Palermo heading into the Olympics and would have been hopeful of a good run in Paris. Sadly, there is no realistic possibility of her overcoming the four-time French Open champion at the venue she loves so much.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2

Andreas:
As certainly the best player in the world on clay, Swiatek should feel comfortable on the Roland Garros clay courts. But she’ll have to control her nerves after she’s been placing a lot of importance on the Olympics throughout the 2024 season. Begu is also a two-time WTA title winner on clay, so expect a tight match.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2

Yesh:
The number of women who can beat Swiatek on this court can be counted on one hand (or less, even). Begu isn’t one of them.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2