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The Guadalajara Open will be the eighth WTA 1000 tournament of the year. It promises to provide a lot of entertainment, even in the absence of several marquee players.
Former top players like Eugenie Bouchard, Leylah Fernandez and Karolina Pliskova will ensure that the first day of the 1000-level event in Guadalajara promises to be a cracker.
Without further ado, here are how some of the intriguing match-ups on the first day of the Guadalajara Open 2023 could pan out:
#1 Eugenie Bouchard vs Renata Zarazua
World No. 218 Eugenie Bouchard has struggled with her form recently, resulting in a free fall in the WTA rankings. The Canadian has had an unremarkable 2023 season on the WTA tour, having been forced to play the qualifers at majority of the main tour events that she has entered.
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Renata Zarazua, meanwhile, usually plays on the ITF circuit. The Mexican has won two titles — the $60k event in Lexington and the $25k event in Boca Raton.
While the World No. 179 is relatively inexperienced on the pro tour, she did defeat Bouchard in their last meeting at the ITF tournament in Tampico, Mexico. The localite will also receive unbridled support from the Mexican fans, which will likely motivate her to punch above her weight and upset the former World No. 5, thus reaching the second round of the Guadalajara Open.
Pick: Renata Zarazua in three sets.
#2 Leylah Fernandez vs Asia Muhammad
Leylah Fernandez has been in a slump ever since reaching the finals at the 2021 US Open. Although she managed to reach the quarterfinals of the 2022 French Open, the Canadian has lost early at a large majority of her subsequent tournament campaigns.
Asia Muhammad, on the other hand, has been in a similar form to her Canadian opponent in 2023. The World No. 351's recent best result came nearly two months ago at the $25k ITF event in Roehampton, Great Britain, where she won the title dropping only one set.
The American also qualified for this week's Guadalajara Open, overcoming both Varvara Lepchenko and Victoria Rodriguez in three sets. She is the more match-fit player at the moment, which will put her in good stead to spring up an upset over Fernandez.
Pick: Asia Muhammad in three sets.
#3 Karolina Pliskova vs Ena Shibahara
Karolina Pliskova, who was once ranked at the top of the WTA rankings, is looking for some well-deserved redemption at the Guadalajara Open this week. The Czech has failed to win a title on the WTA tour since January 2020, having lost her last four finals.
The World No. 34's opponent Shibahara, meanwhile, hardly has her experience as she mainly plies her trade on the ITF circuit. Having said that, the 25-year-old qualified for this week's Guadalajara Open by quashing higher-ranked opponents like Sascha Vickery and Whitney Osuigwe.
Shibahara, a doubles specialist, will likely not put up much of a resistance against Pliskova — who is a proven player in big tournaments on the WTA tour.
Pick: Karolina Pliskova in straight sets.
#4 Sloane Stephens vs Ann Li
Sloane Stephens has had a mixed year in 2023, accumulating a 23-18 win-loss record on the WTA tour. She has also failed to win any titles this year.
The American exited the 2023 US Open in the first round despite a good lead-up to the final Major of the year. She will be looking to salvage her season with a good run at the Guadalajara Open.
Li, for her part, mainly plays qualifers at the WTA tour events as she is ranked outside of the women's top 150. The Chinese dropped only two games in her first qualifying-round match in Guadalajara, before sailing into the main draw as Romania's Monica Niculescu withdrew from their match.
While Stephens has failed to cross the finish line in her important matches in 2023, she has displayed the game required to succeed. She possesses some of the biggest groundstrokes on the women's tour, and she will likely make good use of them in her first-round match against Li.
Pick: Sloane Stephens in straight sets.
