We've got three picks from the opening round of the HSBC Championships in London today, and there are a couple of genuine upsets on the cards if the odds play out. Grass always shakes things up early in the season. So who do you think survives?
WTA The HSBC Championships - London Predictions
Laura Siegemund vs Francesca Jones
Head-to-head: Siegemund 1-1 Jones
These two have split their previous meetings, and given Jones is a British player who grew up on grass, this isn't as comfortable a draw for Siegemund as the ranking gap might suggest. That said, Siegemund is the more consistent player right now and her variety off both wings tends to cause problems indoors on faster surfaces.
Jones will have crowd support and the familiarity of the surface, but Siegemund's experience in tight three-setters is hard to ignore here. I think this goes the distance but the German gets through, all things considered.
Prediction: Siegemund in 3
Marie Bouzkova vs Polina Kudermetova
Head-to-head: First meeting
Bouzkova at 28 in the world versus Kudermetova at 121 looks straightforward on paper, but grass is the great equalizer early in the grass season and Kudermetova has shown she can be dangerous when the conditions suit a flatter, aggressive ball-striking game. Bouzkova is a solid all-court player but she hasn't set the world alight lately and grass isn't where she's done her best work.
Kudermetova takes this one in straight sets.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 2
Sorana Cirstea vs Maddison Inglis
Head-to-head: First meeting
Cirstea is ranked 18th in the world and has been around long enough to know how to handle these early-round grass matches, but Inglis is an Australian with a serve-and-volley instinct and a game that genuinely translates to this surface. Hard to see the ranking gap here meaning much at all.
To make things worse for Cirstea, she hasn't had a standout run anywhere in recent months and Inglis on home-style conditions, fast and low, feels like a real problem for her. I feel like this one goes three sets and Inglis nicks it.
Prediction: Inglis in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Marcin Cholewinski/ZUMA Press Wire