A few second-round matches to get through from the Ilkley grass courts today, and honestly some tricky ones to call given the rankings don't tell the whole story on this surface. Let's get into it.
WTA Lexus Ilkley Open Predictions
Darja Vidmanova vs Lucrezia Stefanini
Head-to-head: Vidmanova 1-0 Stefanini
Vidmanova took the only previous meeting between these two, and at 19 years old she's been one of the more interesting names to follow on the WTA this season. Stefanini is a clay-court player at heart and grass is genuinely her least comfortable surface, so coming into Ilkley off the back of the clay swing, the transition is always going to be rough for her.
Vidmanova is the younger and higher-ranked player right now and I think that H2H edge plus the surface advantage is enough to carry her through, though Stefanini is scrappy enough to make it a three-setter.
Prediction: Vidmanova in 3
Elizabeth Mandlik vs Dalma Galfi
Head-to-head: First meeting
Galfi comes in ranked nearly 60 spots above Mandlik and has been the more consistent player across the season, so she's the clear favorite here. Hard to see Mandlik flipping this one, and first meetings on grass tend to favor whoever is playing with more confidence coming in.
Galfi in three sets, though don't be surprised if Mandlik nicks one.
Prediction: Galfi in 3
Harmony Tan vs Lanlana Tararudee
Head-to-head: First meeting
On paper this looks like a comfortable win for Tararudee given she's ranked over 100 places above Tan right now, but grass changes things considerably. Tan has genuine grass-court pedigree, most famously beating Serena Williams at Wimbledon 2022, a result that announced her as a real grass-court threat, and her low, skidding ball off the turf creates problems that players more comfortable on hard courts never quite solve. Tararudee does most of her best work on hard courts and the surface here won't play to her strengths.
I feel like Tan is the kind of player who shows up on grass specifically, and this feels like one of those spots where the rankings are misleading and she should have enough on this surface, all things considered.
Prediction: Tan in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Rob Prange/AFP7 via ZUMA Press Wire