Monterrey Open 2020: Victoria Azarenka vs Tamara Zidansek, match preview and prediction

Former world no. 1 and two-time Major champion Victoria Azarenka will return to the tour at the 2020 Monterrey Open following five months away from the action.

The Belarusian, who has been involved in a custody battle off-court while also being enrolled in a Harvard business class, has chosen her tournaments carefully in the past couple of years and will be looking to make the best of the opportunities she gets.

Her first-round opponent in Monterrey, Slovenia's two-time WTA 125K winner Tamara Zidansek, will be a tough nut to crack.

Tamara Zidansek, primarily a clay-court specialist, has had some good results on the faster surfaces as well.

Zidansek, who is best known for her successful junior career up until very recently, has made inroads in the senior tour with a couple of WTA 125K titles.

Both of these titles came on clay-courts and that is where the Slovenian shines. She is a great scrambler and has the ability to retrieve almost anything which is why she has had so much success on the slower surfaces.

That said, she has held her own on the quicker surfaces as well, putting in encouraging performances against the likes of Elena Rybakina and Serena Williams in the past.

Azarenka might still be a little rusty from the time spent away from the court.

Zidansek will have a good chance against the returning Azarenka, as there is bound to be some rust in the Belarusian's game. How well Azarenka serves will give her opponent an idea of her form on the day.

It will be very important for both players to get off to a good start. Zidansek, in particular, will want to take advantage of any potential holes in Azarenka's game early on as the two-time Major champion will only get better as the match progresses.

Prediction: Azarenka to win in three sets.