Three first-round picks from Rabat today, with pleasant conditions out there, partially cloudy and sitting around 19°C. The clay here tends to play pretty slow, which usually separates the baseliners from the players who rely on pace, and that matters in at least a couple of these matchups. Which of these results surprises you most?
WTA Grand Prix De SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem Predictions
Emiliana Arango vs Ella Seidel
Head-to-head: Arango 0-1 Seidel
Seidel got the only previous meeting between these two, and on clay in Rabat, I think her game travels well. Arango is ranked higher and is no pushover on this surface, but Seidel has been finding her footing on the WTA tour and is comfortable grinding from the baseline. This feels like it goes three sets, with both players capable of taking a set off the other.
Prediction: Seidel in 3
Janice Tjen vs Caijsa Wilda Hennemann
Head-to-head: First meeting
On paper this looks like a walkover for Tjen, ranked 40th against someone ranked 292nd. But Hennemann is the pick here, and honestly the slow Rabat clay is the kind of surface that can level things out fast. Tjen hasn't been playing her best tennis lately and a player ranked that low coming into a main draw has usually earned her spot through qualifying form. Still, this would be a real upset.
Prediction: Hennemann in 2
Tereza Martincova vs Maria Camila Osorio Serrano
Head-to-head: Martincova 1-1 Serrano
Osorio is ranked 83rd to Martincova's 250th, so this one looks comfortable for the Colombian on paper. That said, Martincova has wins at this level before and the h2h is level, so she clearly doesn't struggle against this type of opponent. The slow conditions, which really do reward the kind of defensive baseline game Martincova brings, should help her stay in rallies and neutralize some of Osorio's aggression, and Martincova in three actually feels very plausible here, all things considered.
Prediction: Martincova in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
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