After Mirra Andreeva won her first Slam at Roland Garros, the WTA tour shifts to grass, with Queen’s, always one of the most traditional events on tour, kickstarting this grass court swing. As is often the case, this tournament has a very strong draw, led by Elena Rybakina but with several other top level players competing.
WTA Queen’s Day 2 Predictions
Sorana Cirstea vs Maddison Inglis
Head-to-head: first meeting
Although it is her last season on tour (unless she goes back on her decision, of course), Cirstea is playing the best tennis of her career and has firmly entrenched herself in the top 20. Grass is far from her favorite surface, but at the level she has been playing so far this season she should at least win this first round and maybe go on a decent run here.
Prediction: Cirstea in 2
Shuai Zhang vs Alexandra Eala
Head-to-head: first meeting
Eala had a fantastic run last week in the Birmingham challenger, playing some great tennis and taking the title. She looked comfortable on the grass and should be able to get good results on this surface throughout her still young career. Zhang played well in qualifying to get to this main draw, but Eala should have the edge here.
Prediction: Eala in 3
Mika Stojsavljevic vs Marta Kostyuk
Head-to-head: first meeting
Kostyuk had a fantastic clay court season, winning the title in Madrid and reaching the Roland Garros semifinals (only losing to the eventual champion Mirra Andreeva). It is highly unlikely that she can replicate those results on grass, but given that she is facing the world #261 here she should at least get past this first round.
Prediction: Kostyuk in 2
Emma Raducanu vs Anna Blinkova
Head-to-head: first meeting
For Raducanu this grass season is yet another opportunity to finally have a strong run after he maiden Slam title at the US Open in 2021; while nothing seems to indicate that it will happen, there is always a lot of attention of her, especially playing at home, and lots of eyes on her matches. Blinkova played at a very high level in qualifying to get to this stage and can definitely score an upset here.
Prediction: Blinkova in 3
Main Photo Credit: Smartframe Images