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The clay season kicks off with Stuttgart, the first tournament on the red dirt, as Iga Swiatek returns to defend the title that she lifted in the last two editions.
Looking to stop her from completing a hattrick will be the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, who has been on the losing side of the last two finals, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff.
With main draw action set to begin Monday, here’s a look at the prospects of the top names in the fray at Stuttgart:
Top Half: Elena Rybakina, Jelena Ostapenko look to stop Iga Swiatek from going for a hattrick
Top seeds: [1] Iga Swiatek, [4] Elena Rybakina, [7] Ons Jabeur, [8] Jelena Ostapenko
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Dark horse: Jelena Ostapenko
Two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek will open her campaign against either Elise Mertens or Tatjana Maria.
While Maria’s unusual slice-and-dice brand of tennis may pose some issues if the match-up were to materialise, the Pole’s first real test will not before the quarterfinals,
Her projected opponent, Jelena Ostapenko, opens against the tricky Linda Noskova who has upset (and pushed on two other occasions) Swiatek this year,
Things don’t get any easier for the Latvian as the winner of a marquee first-round clash between Emma Raducanu and Angelique Kerber looms ahead.
Elsewhere in the top half, Elena Rybakina and Ons Jabeur find themselves on a collision course. Both, however, face daunting tasks.
Rybakina’s big serve may help her come through against a possible second round contest against Barbora Krejcikova in the quick indoor conditions, but an out-of-form Jabeur is likely to find the going tough against the big-hitting Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Prediction: Swiatek def. Rybkina
Bottom Half: Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff fight for supremacy
Top seeds: [2] Aryna Sabalenka, [3] Coco Gauff [5] Zheng Qinwen, [7] Marketa Vondrousova
Dark horse: Sorana Cirstea
Coco Gauff will start her clay season against a qualifier before a likely run-in against either Zheng Qinwen or Sorana Cirstea.
The Chinese has struggled to play her best tennis since reaching the Australian Open final back in January and will be hoping that the change of surface will also bring a change to her fortunes on court.
Cirstea, who is in the middle of a career renaissance of sorts, continues to be a threat, but her flat shots are not the best equipped to deal damage on clay.
Anchoring the last quarter is Aryna Sabalenka, who has lost the last two Stuttgart finals to Swiatek.
The Belarusian may face Paula Badosa in her opener for the second tournament running, having beaten her in Miami. The likes of Marketa Vondrousova and Donna Vekic loom ahead, but like most other in-form players in the half, one has not been in the best of form of late or is simply averse to the red dirt.
Prediction: Gauff def. Sabalenka
Prediction for Final
Swiatek def. Gauff
