Some of the first round action at the 2023 Rabat Open will have Panna Udvardy taking on Peyton Stearns and Julia Grabher facing Ysaline Bonaventure. Get the latest predictions along with the odds, preview and head to head for these matches along with Kristina Mladenovic v Julia Riera and Sada Nahimana v Jana Fett.
Panna Udvardy v Peyton Stearns Preview
Head-to-Head: No previous matches have been played between Udvardy and Stearns
Ranked 92nd in the world, Udvardy hasn’t got a lot of chances to play at the highest level this season but then again, she hasn’t helped her own cause. Even in the opportunities she has had on the ITF circuit, the Hungarian player has done nothing of note.
On clay, which is Udvardy’s favourite surface by some distance – 11 of her 12 ITF titles have come on clay – she has featured in two tournaments and lost in the first round at both. And it’s not even that the competitions were played at the highest level.
She takes on Stearns, who is ranked 20 places ahead of her and at the moment on a career-high. That she hasn’t played all of May would be a cause for concern but as far as clay form goes, Stearns has done rather well with a final appearance at the Bogota Open and another one in Charleston on the ITF circuit.
Expecting Stearns to make life very difficult for the experienced Udvardy.
Udvardy v Stearns Tip
Stearns to win: 3/10
Julia Grabher v Ysaline Bonaventure Preview
Head-to-Head: Grabher and Bonaventure have never faced off in a competitive match before this.
This is a battle between two players ranked in their 80s, with Grabher having shown some solid form in Madrid and Rome before this. The Austrian, who has a career-best ranking of 78th in the world, needed to make it through the qualifiers to enter the Madrid Open where she won her opener.
At Rome she went one better. Wins over Nuria Brancaccio and Jil Teichmann took her to the third round before Daria Kasatkina had her measure.
Bonaventure, on the other hand, hasn’t won a main draw match at the highest level on clay this season. A second round appearance on the WTA 125 tour in a tournament in Saint Malo has been her only performance of note but even there, Bonaventure went down to Elina Svitolina in the second.
Which is why it’s no surprise Grabher starts a favourite but we think this might need three sets to sort it out.
Grabher v Bonaventure Tip
Three sets in the match: 5/4
Kristina Mladenovic v Julia Riera Preview
Head-to-Head: The 153rd-ranked Mladenovic and the world number 193, Reira have never played each other before this.
Mladenovic has had such a wretched season in 2023 that it’s tough to reconcile with the fact that she was once a top-10 singles player. Currently she has fallen to outside the top 150 and that has been down to her seven-match losing streak that brings her to this tournament.
What makes it worse for the Frenchwoman is that none of those matches have come in the main draw of a top-level WTA tournament – Mladenovic has struggled on the ITF circuit and even in the qualifiers of WTA tournaments.
A week ago, she featured in Paris in a tournament on the WTA 125 series and lost in straight sets to Caty McNally as well.
Can she overcome a player ranked 40 places behind her? It might not be easy because Riera might not have featured in a lot of top-level tennis, but she comes into this tournament on the back of a 26-9 win-loss record on clay for this season.
Primarily a clay-courter, Riera has already won a couple of ITF titles this season, both of which came last month. She will start a favourite.
Mladenovic v Riera Tip
Riera to win: 5/6
Sada Nahimana v Jana Fett Preview
Head-to-Head: Nahimana and Fett have never played each other before this.
It’s a first round battle between the 246th-ranked Nahimana and Fett, who is ranked 277th in the world.
One of the rare tennis players from Burundi to feature in a top-level main draw match, Nahimana will now look to create history by going on to win a match. And for the clay-court specialist that Nahimana is, it might be a case of playing to her strength and not letting her nerves take over.
Because while Fett has herself shown her capabilities on clay including winning the two qualifiers to make it to the main draw here, she is still a long way off from her best. At her best, Fett was a top-100 player but currently she is ranked 277th, just a few places shy of her worst in four years.
It could still turn out to be a tough battle that goes to the distance. Expecting Nahimana to win in three.
Nahimana v Fett Tip
Nahimana to win in three sets: 3/1
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The 2023 Italian Open will be played from May 9 to 21. Get our ultimate guide on tennis betting and predictions here.
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