The first round matches at the WTA Korea Open 2019 will kick-start on Monday, September 16 with four of the top eight seeds in action on the day. And if you are looking for the Ekaterina Alexandrova v Greet Minnen & Magda Linette v Irina-Camelia Begu tips and predictions with their previews.
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Ekaterina Alexandrova v Greet Minnen Preview
This will be the second meeting between the second seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova and Belgian qualifier Greet Minnen. The world number 39 Alexandrova had won the first one at an ITF event in 2016 and will be a favourite to make it her second win against the 120th-ranked Minnen.
Here’s the interesting bit though. Both players are currently at their best WTA rankings, and while Minnen hasn’t had the best of recent times on hard-court surfaces – she was on a three-match losing streak before this – she might not be a pushover here. Especially given that bookmakers have her at 5/2 to win to Alexandrova’s 1/3. Could get a lot closer than that.
Alexandrova was a first round loser in San Jose, and then crashed out in the second at Cincinnati Open and US Open respectively. She should take heart from the Toronto Open though where she won a couple of qualifiers before making the third round.
Tip: Three sets in the match: 7/4 (888Sport)
Magda Linette v Irina-Camelia Begu Preview
In what will be a third meeting between Magda Linette and Irina-Camelia Begu, the world number 45 from Poland will hope to push forward with her solid form on hard court surfaces. Linette, as a qualifier, had won the title at the New York Open and made the quarter-final last week at Nanchang.
Earlier in the year there was a semi-final at the Hua Hin Open too and facing the 99th-ranked Begu shouldn’t be that much of a task. Especially since Begu’s last title win came in 2017 and on hard court surfaces she has a 5-8 win-loss record this year.
Also, looking at their head to head, Linette holds a 2-0 advantage but those matches had come way back in 2010. And on clay. Still, Linette shouldn’t have too much trouble getting past Begu in this one.
Tip: Linette to win in straight sets: 10/11 (888Sport)
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Margarita Gasparyan v Tatjana Maria Preview
In their only previous meeting, Margarita Gasparyan had edged out Tatjana Maria in a three-set thriller that needed a tie-breaker in the final set. That was in Tashkent last year and since then the two players have gone in opposite directions as far as their respective rankings are concerned.
Gasparyan has improved from 299th in the world that she was around a year ago to 54th at the moment, while Maria has dropped a few places to 89th. Here’s the trouble for Gasparyan though. She has lost some of that form this year and enters this tournament on the back of a 15-18 win-loss record. This includes a second round exit at Wimbledon, and a 6-1, 6-0 in the second round at the US Open to Johanna Konta among others.
It’s worse for Maria, who is coming off a three-match losing streak and that makes this an interesting one. We think given how their previous match had transpired and the recent struggles, a long, error-strewn battle could be in the offing.
Tip: Over 20.5 games in the match: 17/20 (888Sport)
Wang Yafan v Danielle Lao Preview
When Wang Yafan won the Acapulco Open earlier this year, one thought this was the birth of a new star from China. Those signs were there again at the Miami Open where she made it to the fourth round but a wretched run on clay looks to have dented her confidence.
Yafan lost five successive matches on that surface and followed it up with another defeat on grass. So much so, she is now on a four-match losing streak on hard court surfaces too and needs a big lift.
Up against her is USA’s Danielle Lao, an opponent she has faced once before and won against. Incidentally, that was on clay. Lao, a qualifier, and ranked 180th in the world, has been playing at the lower level circuit and is yet to win a match in the main draw at WTA. One of them looks like they are going to break their duck – either Yafan to win one following her four-match streak or Lao with her first in the main draw and we think it’s the former. And in straight sets.
Tip: Yafan to win in straight sets: 10/11 (888Sport)