There should be plenty of exciting tennis on day two at the WTA Palermo Open with 11 matches on the slate and, as ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match, including Qinwen Zheng vs Sara Errani and Ajla Tomljanovic vs Mayar Sherif. But who will advance in Sicily and who will fall to defeat?
WTA Palermo Day 2 Predictions
Tatjana Maria vs Maria Lourdes Carle
Head-to-head: Maria 2-0 Carle
Tatjana Maria won many opening-round matches in the season’s early months before losing in the following round. However, the former Wimbledon semifinalist’s form has struggled to get past the first round of tournaments in the last few months. Maria Lourdes Carle, a clay court specialist, has also been in poor form in recent months. This is a tough match to call, but the Argentine is narrowly favoured. Her greater energy could make the difference against Maria, who may be starting to decline.
Prediction: Carle in 3
Arantxa Rus vs Martina Trevisan
Head-to-head: Trevisan 2-2 Rus
Both players have momentum heading into this match. Martina Trevisan won a WTA 125 event in Sweden last week, while Arantxa Rus lifted the title at an ITF tournament in her native Netherlands. Trevisan’s run was particularly important for her after a tough season until that point. Calling this battle between the two left-handed clay court specialists is tough. Trevisan’s ability to neutralize Rus’ forehand with her own might be the difference, since hitting with heavy topspin cross-court is Rus’ most common tactic.
Prediction: Trevisan in 3
Jaqueline Cristian vs Julia Riera
Head-to-head: first meeting
Jacqueline Cristian suffered a surprising second-round defeat last week in Sweden. Her best results this season have been on clay, though. This includes victories on the dirt against Wimbledon quarterfinalist Emma Navarro and this year’s champion at SW19 Barbora Krejcikova. At her best, the Romanian will be too good for Julia Riera. The Argentine is a clay-court specialist, but she her opponent’s firepower. I do not expect Cristian to be the victim of another upset in this matchup.
Prediction: Cristian in 2
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Peyton Stearns vs Ann Li
Head-to-head: Li 1-0 Stearns
This is a dangerous opening-round match for Peyton Stearns. After a difficult few years, Ann Li has returned to form on clay. She was the runner-up at the WTA 125 tournaments in Valencia last month and in Sweden last week. Stearns could easily fall at the first hurdle if she is not near her best. Overall, I will still back Stearns to prevail by demonstrating enough of the firepower that took her to the Morocco Open title. But this could be a very tight battle.
Prediction: Stearns in 3
Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
