WTA Birmingham Classic : Women’s Singles Draw Preview, Analysis and Prediction for Viking Open 2021
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WTA Birmingham Classic
Birmingham Classic 2021, a WTA 250 tournament will be held from June 14-20, 2021. The tournament will be played on grass courts, with Elise Mertens being the top seed. Ons Jabeur is seeded second in Birmingham, whereas, Donna Vekic is seeded third. The tournament is an important step in preparation for Wimbledon 2021, which is just two weeks away.
Tournament Details:
- Tournament: Viking Classic Birmingham 2021
- Date: June 14-20, 2021
- Number of Entrants: 32 (Singles), 16(Doubles)
- Venue: Birmingham, England
- Surface: Grass Court
- Prize Money: $ 235,238
- Defending champion: Ashleigh Barty
Top Seeds at Birmingham Open 2021
- Elise Mertens
- Ons Jabeur
- Donna Vekic
- Daria Kasatkina
- Jelena Ostapenko
WTA Birmingham Classic: Draw Prediction
Top Half
The top half of the draw includes the likes of top seed, Elise Mertens and fifth seed, Jelena Ostapenko. Mertens opens her campaign against the Australian, Ajla Tomljanovic. She is expected to face the qualifier, Kristyna Pliskova in the second round clash, with a potential third round battle against the French, Carolina Garcia. It will be real test for Elise Mertens to perform well on grass courts, after she has performed well on hard and clay courts in the past year.
Jelena Ostapenko faces the American, Lauren Davis in the first round, with a potential clash against Samantha Stosur in round two. Marta Kostyuk who performed well at French Open 2021, will face Madison Brengle in the firs round, and is expected to clash against Daria Kasatkina in the second round. The quarterfinals will feature two youngsters, Jelena Ostapenko and Daria Kasatkina who will battle for a place in the last four.
First Semifinal Prediction: Jelena Ostapenko vs Elise Mertens
Player to watch out for: Marta Kostyuk
Bottom Half
Ons Jabeur faces the American, Catherine McNally in the first round, and is expected to face the Canadian prodigy, Leylah Fernandez in the second round. Jabeur will cruise into the quarters, where she faces Fiona Ferro of France. Donna Vekic, third seed at the tournament faces Francesca Jones in the first round, and is expected to win in straight sets.
Vekic will face the Italian, Camila Giorgi in the second round, with a potential clash against home favorite, Heather Watson in the quarterfinals. Vekic should progress into the last four, where she faces Ons Jabeur.
2nd Semifinal Prediction: Ons Jabeur vs Donna Vekic
Player to Watch Out for: Leylah Fernandez
Semifinals
The first semifinals will feature Jelena Ostapenko and Elise Mertens. The match is expected to be a three set affair, with Ostapenko edging out the Belgian in a close encounter. The Latvian reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 2018, and can put up a good show.
The second semifinal will pit Ons Jabeur against Donna Vekic. The Tunisian is known to a huge hitter of the ball, and is expected to defeat Vekic in three sets to progress into the finals.
Final Prediction: Jelena Ostapenko vs Ons Jabeur
Final
Ons Jabeur and Jelena Ostapenko have a similar style of play, which makes the final an interesting watch. However, Jabeur has been the better player in the past year, and has managed to add several new dimensions to her game. The Tunisian is more of a creative player as compared to Ostapenko, which will aid her in the finals.
To Lift the Title: Ons Jabeur
Also Read: ATP Halle 2021: Men’s Singles Draw Preview, Analysis and Prediction for Noventi Open
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Nirmit Mehta
(2425 Articles Published)