The WTA tour transits from the slowest surface in tennis to the fastest surface in tennis as we move into the short grass-court season of 2019. First up, we head towards ‘s-Hertogenbosch where the #LibemaOpen will be held. Home favourite Kiki Bertens leads the intriguing line-up with Aryna Sabalenka and recent Roland Garros semifinalist Amanda Anisimova joining the field as well.
First Quarter: Bertens and Anisimova set for a mouth-watering clash
Top seed #KikiBertens will return to her homeland hoping to grab her first grass-court title, and she will start her campaign against former doubles partner and good friend #JohannaLarsson in the opening round. Bertens and Larsson made the final of the 2017 WTA Finals as a pair although both players had split paths since then.
Home fans will certainly get to see their local players in action with a battle between two Dutch wildcards in the first round. #ArantxaRus, a former top-100 player, will clash against fellow countrywoman #BibianeSchoofs for a place in the second round.
Roland Garros semifinalist #AmandaAnisimova would have to adapt quickly if she hopes to produce another deep run as she will face the ever-dangerous #NataliaVikhlyantseva, who reached the final in 2017, in her first hurdle. The American is seeded eighth although she will have a ranking of 26 when the new rankings are released on Monday.
Bertens, back on the court for the first time since her abrupt retirement from Roland Garros where she was the overwhelming favourite to lift the title due to an illness, will hope to gain some valuable ranking points in front of a supportive home crowd but she needs to be wary of that winner between Anisimova and Vikhlyantseva.
Prediction: Bertens d. Vikhlyantseva
Second Quarter: Repeat of last year’s final
Fourth seed #LesiaTsurenko goes up against the hard-hitting #KristynaPliskova, whose game can cause some real damage on the fast surface. However, the match to look out for in this section will be the repeat of last year’s final between #AleksandraKrunic and #KirstenFlipkens. With both unable to quite replicate the form which got them to the final this year, it will be interesting to see who will prevail in this battle especially when valuable ranking points are on stake.
There will be another all-qualifier clash between #VarvaraLepchenko and #ElenaRybakina, who will face a Chinese in the second round. Sixth seed #ZhengSaisai and #WangYafan will go head-to-head in the opener, with both not achieving much success on this surface in their careers yet. Hence, this will be a golden opportunity for either to reach a WTA quarterfinal on grass although the rising star Rybakina will be a huge threat.
Prediction: Flipkens d. Rybakina
Third Quarter: Mertens looks to regain her form
Roland Garros quarterfinalist #PetraMartic will step on grass for the first time this year, and she will face the tricky #PolonaHercog, who plays some powerful tennis, in her first match on the surface. Her potential second-round opponent would not be much easier as either #AlisonRiske, who plays well on grass, or #KarolinaMuchova, a rising star, awaits.
There could be an all-Belgian meeting in the second round between #AlisonVanUytvanck and #EliseMertens though the latter would have to survive the first-round test by #EkaterinaAlexandrova. The Russian is never an opponent to underestimate, but the Belgian will look to shrug off the disappointment of an early Roland Garros exit coupled with a fairly poor year thus far. This could well be the start of a resurgent period of Mertens.
Prediction: Mertens d. Martic
Fourth Quarter: Can Sabalenka find some of her magic once again?
#ViktoriaKuzmova, who is a big threat to the rest of the field, opens her campaign against #MargaritaGasparyan. We have to watch out for #GreetMinnen, the qualifier who has been flying under the radar this season having improved her ranking by 200 spots since the start of the year. The Belgian faces #MonaBarthel in the opening round and could face Kuzmova next.
#VeronikaKudermetova and #OnsJabeur, both being hard-hitters, will compete in the first round with the Russian reaching her first WTA quarterfinal at this tournament last year. Wildcard #DestaneeAiava would have to play the best tennis of her life if she were to upset second seed #ArynaSabalenka in an intriguing first-round clash, with the Belarusian looking to find her top form on grass having reached the final in Eastbourne last year. Sabalenka will be the favourite for a deep run here.
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