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 Iga Swiatek vs Irina-Camelia Begu, Naomi Osaka vs Angelique Kerber, Danielle Collins vs Laura Siegemund, 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
Marta Kostyuk (Ukraine) vs Yulia Putintseva (Kazakhstan)
Jordan:
Both players are enjoying the best seasons of their careers to date. On clay, I trust Putintseva’s game slightly more in this matchup. Her craftiness has a good chance of wearing down Kostyuk, who often gets frustrated on the court.
Prediction: Putintseva in 3
Andreas:
Putintseva is coming off a great Wimbledon campaign after stunning World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and has an impressive 60% win rate on clay courts. Meanwhile, Kostyuk made the finals of the Stuttgart Open on clay earlier this spring. Expecting a close match, with Kostyuk winning in the later stages.
Prediction: Kostyuk in 3
Yesh:
Putintseva had a bit of a resurgence at Wimbledon, taking out Iga Swiatek. How much confidence does that give her here? I’m not sure, but she’ll need to be locked in or Kostyuk will hit her off the court.
Prediction: Putintseva in 3
Daria Saville (Australia) vs Qinwen Zheng (China)
Jordan:
Saville came into the draw late as an alternate after the withdrawal of Elena Rybakina. Unfortunately for the Australian, this is not an ideal draw. Saville is a gritty competitor and she will try and frustrate Zheng, but her opponent’s firepower is very likely to overwhelm her.
Prediction: Zheng in 2
Andreas:
Zheng is coming off a clay-court title in Palermo and should feel confident going into this match. However, she did lose in the first round of Wimbledon to Lulu Sun, and will have to avoid struggling with form in bigger tournaments like the Olympics. Saville will have to extend the rallies and use her fast footwork to her advantage.
Prediction: Zheng in 3
Yesh:
Saville looked solid at times this year, and Zheng has been slumping since reaching the Australian Open final back in January. Still, the Chinese woman is just too good, and Saville’s discomfort with clay only widens the disparity.
Prediction: Zheng in 2
Anhelina Kalinina (Ukraine) vs Arantxa Rus (Netherlands)
Jordan:
This is a tough match to call between who players who usually produce their best on clay. Kalinina’s backhand might be what makes the difference in this matchup. Rus’ most common tactic is controlling the rallies with her heavy left-handed topspin forehand, usually hitting it cross-court. Kalinina has a backhand that is capable of dealing with that.
Prediction: Kalinina in 3
Andreas:
Rus recently won a title at ITF level, while Kalinina has had an up-and-down season on the clay courts. The Ukranian should be the slight favorite to win this in the end.
Prediction: Kalinina in 2
Yesh:
Kalinina has been in solid form recently. Rus is decent enough, but her real shot at this Olympics lies in doubles.
Prediction: Kalinina in 2
Bianca Andreescu (Canada) vs Clara Tauson (Denmark)
Jordan:
Andreescu has made an impressive comeback since returning from a long injury at the French Open. I think she has an ideal playing style to disrupt Tauson. The Canadian’s biggest strength is her defensive skills and that is likely to extract errors from the her very aggressive opponent.
Prediction: Andreescu in 2
Andreas:
Andreescu played solid tennis in her last appearance, at Wimbledon, while Tauson is on a four-match losing streak. However, Tauson did reach the second week of the French Open, claiming a Top 10 win in the process. Picking Andreescu to win in a close one, taking advantage of the bigger points in the later stages of the match.
Prediction: Andreescu in 2
Yesh:
Is Andreescu healthy? Is she able to strike the ball cleanly for two hours at a time? I have a feeling the answer is yes, which means the entire draw should be on notice.
Prediction: Andreescu in 2
Other Olympic Predictions:
Men’s Singles Featuring Novak Djokovic vs Matthew Ebden
Men’s Singles Featuring Carlos Alcaraz vs Hedy Habib
Men’s Singles Featuring Daniil Medvedev vs Rinky Hijikata
Men’s Singles Featuring Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Zizou Bergs
Men’s Doubles Featuring Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz vs Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni
Men’s Doubles Featuring Luciano Darderi and Lorenzo Musetti vs Nicolas Jarry and Alejandro Tabilo
Women’s Doubles Featuring Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula vs Daria Saville and Ellen Perez
Women’s Doubles Featuring Angelique Kerber and Laura Siegemund vs Katie Boulter and Heather Watson
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
