We've got three picks from the opening round of qualifying at the HSBC Championships in London, all on grass and all with something interesting going on. Can any of the lower-ranked players make life difficult today?
WTA The HSBC Championships - London Predictions
Talia Gibson vs Alina Charaeva
Head-to-head: First meeting
Gibson comes in as the higher-ranked player and, on a surface like grass, her all-court game tends to travel well. Charaeva is ranked 130th and hasn't really established herself on this kind of surface at this level, and I think the ranking gap tells the story pretty accurately here. First meetings on grass can be unpredictable, but Gibson should have enough to close it out, all things considered.
Prediction: Gibson in 3
Maddison Inglis vs Alycia Parks
Head-to-head: Inglis 0-1 Parks
Parks is the higher-ranked player here and already has a win over Inglis in the books, so she comes in with both the form advantage and the mental edge from their previous meeting. Inglis can be a tough out and this is qualifying, so nothing is guaranteed, but Parks' power off the ground translates well to fast grass and she feels like the right pick. Inglis will need to play a very clean match to flip this one.
Prediction: Parks in 3
Elsa Jacquemot vs Hanyu Guo
Head-to-head: First meeting
Jacquemot is ranked nearly 100 spots above Guo and has been a consistent presence on the tour over the past couple of seasons, so this is a pretty comfortable spot for her on paper. That said, Guo hasn't shown much at this level yet, and grass qualifying isn't exactly where you want to be testing your game for the first time. Hard to see this being competitive at all.
Prediction: Jacquemot in 3
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