Grass season is here, and we've got three picks from the opening qualifying round at the HSBC Championships in London. Vekic is the big name in action, but the other two matches are tight enough to be worth a look. Who do you think comes through?
WTA The HSBC Championships - London Predictions
Maddison Inglis vs Alycia Parks
Head-to-head: Inglis 0-1 Parks
Parks has always had the tools for grass. Her serve and flat ball-striking are a natural fit for the surface and Inglis, despite being a solid professional, hasn't done much to suggest she can trouble someone ranked 60 places above her. Their only previous meeting went to Parks, and I don't see anything here that changes that dynamic.
Prediction: Parks in 3
Priscilla Hon vs Polina Kudermetova
Head-to-head: Hon 0-1 Kudermetova
This one's close on paper. Both are ranked within 20 spots of each other and neither has a standout grass record to lean on. Kudermetova holds the H2H lead and has the ranking advantage, and I think that's just enough to get her over the line here, though this feels like the kind of match that goes the distance before anyone pulls away.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 3
Donna Vekic vs Carole Monnet
Head-to-head: Vekic 1-0 Monnet
Vekic reached the Wimbledon final last year, so coming through qualifying here is a formality more than anything else. Her game translates beautifully to grass and Monnet, ranked 196th, hasn't shown she can compete at this level on any surface consistently. That said, hard to see this being competitive at all, and Vekic wins this comfortably.
Prediction: Vekic in 2
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
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