We've got three picks from the first round of qualifying at the WTA Oeiras Open CETO, with temperatures sitting around 63°F under partially cloudy skies in Portugal. None of these are household names, but qualifying clay matches can be surprisingly competitive, so let's see who we think gets through.
WTA Oeiras Open CETO Predictions
Iryna Shymanovich vs Elena Ruxandra Bertea
Head-to-head: First meeting
Shymanovich at 184 in the world is a meaningful step above Bertea, and on clay that ranking gap tends to show more than on faster surfaces where upsets are easier to manufacture. Bertea has been building her game on the ITF circuit but hasn't really broken through yet at this level.
I think Shymanovich gets through, but it takes three. Qualifying matches on clay are rarely clean.
Prediction: Shymanovich in 3
Tessa Johanna Brockmann vs Ayana Akli
Head-to-head: Brockmann 0-1 Akli
Akli actually leads this one from their only previous meeting, and she's ranked higher too, so Brockmann is the underdog in more ways than one coming in. That said, these qualifying-level H2H records can be pretty misleading since so much depends on form and conditions on the day.
Brockmann reverses the result here, but it goes the distance.
Prediction: Brockmann in 3
Elizara Yaneva vs Alisa Oktiabreva
Head-to-head: First meeting
Yaneva holds a 50-ranking-spot advantage over Oktiabreva, and on clay that kind of gap usually translates into something real. Hard to see this being competitive at all, but first meetings at this level are hard to read and I feel like the higher-ranked player just has more tools to fall back on when things get tight.
Yaneva gets through, all things considered, though probably not without dropping a set.
Prediction: Yaneva in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Rob Prange/AFP7 via ZUMA Press Wire