A warm one in Modena today, with clear skies and temperatures around 26°C, and we've got three second-round picks from the WTA Memorial Eugenio Fontana to get into. All three are pretty tight on paper, so let's see who comes through.
WTA Memorial Eugenio Fontana Predictions
Lucia Bronzetti vs Julia Grabher
Head-to-head: Bronzetti 3-1 Grabher
Bronzetti has been here before against Grabher and knows how to handle her, leading the H2H 3-1 and playing on home clay in front of an Italian crowd. That combination of familiarity and crowd support counts for something, especially in a tight clay match. Grabher is no pushover at this level, but Bronzetti's movement on slow clay tends to drag opponents into longer rallies she's more comfortable in.
I think this goes three sets, but Bronzetti gets there.
Prediction: Bronzetti in 3
Leyre Romero Gormaz vs Mayar Sherif
Head-to-head: Sherif 1-0 Gormaz
Sherif holds the only previous meeting, but Gormaz has been building quietly on clay and at this level she's a genuine threat. The rankings are close enough that neither player has a real edge on paper and the surface should keep things grinding and physical, which suits Gormaz's retrieval game. That said, Sherif is the more experienced player and won't make this easy.
Feel like Gormaz flips the H2H here, but it'll take three sets to do it.
Prediction: Gormaz in 3
Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva vs Varvara Lepchenko
Head-to-head: Kasintseva 1-0 Lepchenko
Lepchenko is ranked 175th and at 35 has been largely off the tour for stretches in recent years, so Kasintseva should be the fresher and more consistent player here. Kasintseva already has the H2H win and, playing on clay at 124th in the world, she's the clear favorite. Hard to see this being competitive at all. Lepchenko can still grind on this surface, but Kasintseva should still find a way to get through here, all things considered.
Prediction: Kasintseva in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Oscar J. Barroso/AFP7 via ZUMA Press Wire