Three first round picks from the Libema Open in 's-Hertogenbosch today, where the grass season is properly underway. Plenty of interesting names in action here, so let's get into it.
WTA Libema Open Predictions
Emma Navarro vs Caty McNally
Head-to-head: Navarro 2-1 McNally
Navarro leads this H2H and the ranking gap has only widened recently, with Navarro now firmly inside the top 30 after a strong run of results over the past year. Grass suits her well, the low bounce keeping the ball in her wheelhouse and her flat groundstrokes staying awkward to read on this surface.
McNally has the serve and the athleticism to make things uncomfortable, but she's never really translated that into consistent results on grass at tour level. Hard to see this being competitive at all. Navarro wins this comfortably.
Prediction: Navarro in 2
Barbora Krejcikova vs Renata Zarazua
Head-to-head: Krejcikova 0-1 Zarazua
That H2H loss is the one eyebrow-raiser here, though Krejcikova has had a complicated couple of years with injuries and form. On grass specifically, she's a former Wimbledon champion and she knows exactly how to use her variety and feel on this surface. Zarazua is a hard worker but she's a clay-court player at heart and grass has never been kind to her.
I think Krejcikova gets through without too many problems once she settles into the match, all things considered.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 2
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro vs Ajla Tomljanovic
Head-to-head: Tomljanovic 1-0 Maneiro
Tomljanovic leads the H2H and she's actually a decent grass-court player, someone who's gone deep at Wimbledon before and whose big serve and flat ball travel well on this surface. That said, the problem is she's been injury-plagued for a long time now and it's hard to know what version of her shows up these days.
Bouzas Maneiro has been one of the more consistent players in the top 50 this year and I feel like her pace off the ground will be enough to handle a Tomljanovic who's still finding her feet on tour and has a lot to prove fitness-wise at this point. Could go three sets, though.
Prediction: Maneiro in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © PI via ZUMA Press Wire