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The Palermo Ladies Open is one of the last few claycourt tournaments on the WTA Tour before the hardcourt swing gets under way. The 32nd edition of the WTA 250 event, which is to be held from July 19-25, will feature quite a few established names.
World No. 49 Danielle Collins leads the 32-player field with Berlin Open champion Liudmila Samsonova seeded second. Former winner Jil Teichmann and China's Shuai Zhang round out the top four seeds.
The main draw action kicks off on 19 July, with the final scheduled for 25 July. On that note, here's an in-depth look at how the draw might unfold:
Top half: Astra Sharma, Shuai Zhang, Kamilla Rakhimova look to pose a challenge for Danielle Collins
Seeded players: [1] Danielle Collins, [4] Shuai Zhang, [7] Astra Sharma, [8] Kamilla Rakhimova
Expected semifinal: Danielle Collins vs Shuai Zhang
Dark horse: Astra Sharma
Analysis: By dint of her ranking and recent form, Danielle Collins is the favorite to come through this section of the draw. Since taking a break from the tour to undergo surgery for endometriosis, the American has been in top form.
Post-Wimbledon, the 27-year-old has made the quarterfinals in Hamburg and the semifinals in Budapest. She had to retire from her last-four clash against Anhelina Kalinina in the Hungarian Open on Saturday and will be eager to bounce back in Palermo.
Collins, who is searching for her first title of the season, starts off her campaign against a qualifier. Things could get tricky for the American from the quarterfinals, where she could face seventh seed Astra Sharma.
The Australian won a couple of matches at Lausanne last week and also put up a gritty fight against fifth seed Caroline Garcia before bowing out in three sets. She is a player Collins can't afford to take lightly.
Fourth seed Shuai Zhang helms the second quarter of the draw. The Chinese struggled at the start of the season before finding some form during the grass swing.
The World No. 60, who made the doubles semis at Lausanne, will hope to bring that form to the singles court in Palermo, where she opens against World No. 160 Cristina Bucsa.
Zhang is slated to meet eighth seed Kamilla Rakhimova in the quarterfinals. The 19-year-old is in decent form. She sent sixth seed Arantxa Rus packing in Lausanne before going down to eventual finalist Clara Burel in three sets. Rakhimova will look to produce a similar level in Palermo and shake up the draw.
Semifinal prediction: Danielle Collins vs Kamilla Rakhimova
Bottom half: Jil Teichmann, Lara Arruabarrena, Viktoriya Tomova aim to topple Liudmila Samsonova
Seeded players: [2] Liudmila Samsonova, [3] Jil Teichmann, [5] Viktoriya Tomova, [6] Oceane Dodin
Expected semifinal: Liudmila Samsonova vs Jil Teichmann
Dark horse: Viktoriya Tomova
Analysis: Second seed Liudmila Samsonova comes into this tournament on the back of a fantastic showing on grass. The World No. 32 won the title in Berlin and made it to the fourth round at Wimbledon, marking her best-ever performance at a Major.
The Russian begins her title challenge against a qualifier and could meet the sixth seed Oceane Dodin in the quarterfinals. Dodin made back-to-back quarterfinals at a couple of claycourt events on the ITF circuit this month and will have drawn plenty of confidence from those performances.
The other quarter has a few accomplished claycourters, who could spring a surprise or two. Third seed Jil Teichmann, fifth seed Viktoriya Tomova and Lara Arruabarrena are amongst those looking to make a deep run.
As a former champion in Palermo, World No. 56 Teichmann will look to make a statement this week. The Swiss has a disappointing 12-12 win-loss record for the season and returning to a venue where she has enjoyed plenty of success could be just what the doctor ordered.
Teichmann has a straightforward path to the quarterfinals, where she could face either Tomova or Arruabarrena. Tomova made the semifinals of both Belgrade and Copa Colsanitas on clay this season and will be a tough nut to crack.
World No. 178 Lara Arruabarrena, who made the quarterfinals at Copa Colsanitas, is a solid claycourter. She faces Grace Min in her opener before a potential clash with Tomova.
Semifinal prediction: Liudmila Samsonova vs Viktoriya Tomova
Prediction for the final
Danielle Collins vs Viktoriya Tomova
Predicted champion
Viktoriya Tomova
