Three second-round picks from the WTA Catalonia Open in La Bisbal D'Emporda today, under partially cloudy skies and a comfortable 20°C. Clay tennis, a mix of ranked players and some tricky matchups. Let's get into it.
WTA Catalonia Open Predictions
Xinyu Wang vs Alina Charaeva
Head-to-head: First meeting
Wang is ranked nearly 100 spots above Charaeva and has been one of the more consistent performers in the WTA top 40 over the past year. This is their first meeting, so there's no history to lean on, but the ranking gap tells most of the story. Charaeva hasn't shown much at this level on clay and Wang's ball-striking from the baseline should be too much to handle.
I think this goes three sets just because clay has a way of flattening out matches, but Wang gets through.
Prediction: Wang in 3
Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Ashlyn Krueger
Head-to-head: Krueger leads 1-0
Haddad Maia is ranked higher and clay is genuinely her best surface, but Krueger has already beaten her before and at 21 she's been pushing into the top 100 with some real conviction. That prior win matters, because Krueger clearly isn't intimidated by the matchup. Haddad Maia hasn't been at her sharpest lately and this feels like a match where the younger player makes the most of the slow conditions.
Prediction: Krueger in 3
Laura Pigossi vs Daria Kasatkina
Head-to-head: First meeting
Kasatkina is the obvious favorite here on paper, ranked well above Pigossi and a clay-court player who uses heavy slice and angles to dismantle opponents in longer matches. That said, Pigossi is Brazilian, she's grown up on this surface, and playing at home on clay with nothing to lose can do strange things to a match. Kasatkina also hasn't been in the best form recently, and this is exactly the kind of second-round spot where an upset can happen.
Pigossi wins this one, all things considered.
Prediction: Pigossi in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Rob Prange/AFP7 via ZUMA Wire