We've got three second-round matches to break down from Rouen today, with the clay courts at the Open Capfinances playing under partially cloudy skies and a cool 16°C. None of these are obvious calls, so let's get into it.
WTA Open Capfinances Rouen Metropole Predictions
Xinyu Wang vs Sorana Cirstea
Head-to-head: First meeting
Wang has been a reliable presence on tour this year but clay isn't where she's done her best work, and Cirstea, for all her inconsistency, can be genuinely dangerous on this surface when she's timing the ball well. At 34, she's not getting better, but she still has the game to dismantle players who aren't comfortable in slower conditions and this feels like one of those matches where her experience carries her through.
I think Cirstea takes this, though it won't be clean. Wang will push her in at least one set.
Prediction: Cirstea in 3
Marta Kostyuk vs Ann Li
Head-to-head: Kostyuk 1-1 Li
These two split their previous meetings and neither has been in sparkling form recently, so the 1-1 head-to-head doesn't tell us much. Li can grind on clay and Kostyuk has the bigger weapons, but she can go missing for stretches in matches on slower surfaces. That said, Baptiste comes through in three.
Prediction: Baptiste in 3
Anna Bondar vs Oleksandra Oliynykova
Head-to-head: Bondar 1-1 Oliynykova
Another dead-even head-to-head, but Bondar has looked more consistent on clay, particularly indoors on this type of surface, over the past year and that should matter here. Oliynykova is a streaky player who can produce something special on a good day, but hard to see this being competitive at all once the rallies get long. The slow conditions in Rouen suit her game well and I feel like she gets through this one even if it takes three sets to do it.
Prediction: Bondar in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Debby Wong/ZUMA Press Wire