Three second-round picks from Monterrey today, with temperatures pushing 100°F under clear skies, and some genuinely interesting matchups to get into. Who do you think comes through?
WTA Monterrey Predictions
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Clara Tauson
Head-to-head: Tauson 2-0 Alexandrova
Tauson owns this H2H completely, and it's not a small-sample fluke either. Two wins from two, and Alexandrova has never found an answer for her. Tauson's flat, low ball tends to rush players who like to set up with spin, and Alexandrova fits that profile pretty well on hard courts.
That said, Alexandrova is the higher-ranked player and will fancy her chances in the heat. But I think the H2H tells you everything you need to know here and Tauson has been playing confident tennis this season.
Prediction: Tauson in 3
Nikola Bartunkova vs Anastasia Potapova
Head-to-head: Potapova 2-0 Bartunkova
Potapova leads the H2H and is ranked higher, so on paper this looks straightforward. But Bartunkova has been one of the more quietly impressive players on tour this year, and at 20 years old she's not intimidated by names anymore. Hard courts in hot conditions suit her aggressive, flat ball striking.
Potapova can be streaky and when things go wrong for her mentally she tends to hand matches away, and Bartunkova is exactly the kind of opponent who'll keep the pressure on long enough to take advantage of that. Feels like an upset is genuinely on the cards.
Prediction: Bartunkova in 3
Oleksandra Oliynykova vs Diane Parry
Head-to-head: Parry 1-0 Oliynykova
Parry holds the only previous meeting between these two, and both players are close enough in ranking that this looks like a coin flip on paper, though it's hard to see this being competitive for long. Oliynykova has the bigger game and can serve her way out of trouble, but she's inconsistent and can disappear in matches for long stretches.
Parry is a grinder and the slow hard courts in Monterrey, which tend to reward patience over power, should keep her in rallies long enough to do damage. Parry in three sets, all things considered.
Prediction: Parry in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Marcin Cholewinski/ZUMA Press Wire