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Players will be aiming to book a spot in the second round on Day 2 of the 2024 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
Veronika Kudermetova rallied from a set down to defeat former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round on Monday. Former World No. 2 Paula Badosa scored a routine 6-3, 6-4 win over qualifier Diana Shanider.
A couple of Grand Slam champions and finalists headline the day's play on Tuesday. Jelena Ostapenko, Marketa Vondrousova, Zheng Qinwen and Sara Errani are the big names who will take to the court on another action-packed day in Stuttgart.
With that in mind, here's a look at the predictions for most of the singles matches on Day 2 of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix:
#1 Jelena Ostapenko vs Linda Noskova
Ostapenko was on a roll during the first few weeks of the year. She won titles in Adelaide and Linz, was the runner-up at the Australian Open in doubles and won the doubles title in Brisbane.
However, Ostapenko has struggled over the last month. She bowed out of the Indian Wells Open without a win and fared slightly better at the Miami Open, where she made the third round.
Noskova, meanwhile, had a strong start to the season as well. She first made it to the semifinals of the Brisbane International and eliminated World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the third round of the Australian Open.
The Czech teen has lost to her twice since then, with both losses coming in her last two tournaments. Ostapenko leads Noskova 1-0 in the head-to-head and won their previous match at last year's Birmingham Classic.
The Latvian has blown hot and cold in recent weeks and has been handed a tough opener. She's invincible when her brand of attacking tennis is played to perfection. However, if she doesn't ease up on the errors, Noskova will fancy her odds of another big win.
Predicted winner: Jelena Ostapenko
#2 Zheng Qinwen vs Sorana Cirstea
Zheng reached her maiden Major final at this year's Australian Open but came up short against defending champion Aryna Sabalenka. It was expected that the Chinese youngster would use that as a catalyst to reach greater heights, but she has won back-to-back matches just once since then.
Cirstea, meanwhile, had a dismal start to the year, as she crashed out in the opening round of her first three tournaments. The Middle East swing proved to be a turning point, as she made the last-eight in Abu Dhabi and the semifinals in Dubai.
Cirstea reached the fourth round of her previous event, the Miami Open, where she lost to eventual champion Danielle Collins. She's quite a credible player on clay with some great results over the years.
Zheng has proven to be a quick learner and has only improved her results on the red dirt with every passing season. However, aside from her run in Melbourne, she's yet to notch up another strong result this year. While she's the higher-ranked player, unless she ups the ante, Cirstea will be favored to make it through.
Predicted winner: Sorana Cirstea
#3 Marketa Vondrousova vs Donna Vekic
Vondrousova has endured a tough year both on and off the court. After a slow start to the season, she registered consecutive wins for the first time to reach the quarterfinals in Dubai, where she lost to Cirstea.
She started her run at the Indian Wells Open with a dominant 6-0, 6-2 win over Bernarda Pera before withdrawing from the tournament as well as the Miami Open due to personal reasons, which she later revealed to be her grandfather's death.
With a 9-7 record for the season, Vekic has had some good results, including a semifinal showing in Linz and a quarterfinal appearance in San Diego. Vondrousova is the better player on clay given her 51-23 record on the surface, which is a lot better than the Croat's 39-38 win-loss record.
They each have a win over the other, and Vondrousova won their most recent duel en route to her title-winning run at last year's Wimbledon. However, this will be her first match in a month. If she's able to get up and running quickly, she should be able to fend off Vekic.
Predicted winner: Marketa Vondrousova
#4 Jasmine Paolini vs Sara Errani
Paolini entered the big leagues with her triumph at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February, her first at the WTA 1000 level. Errani upset World No. 26 Anna Kalinskaya to qualify for the main draw of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
Paolini and Errani have played a lot of doubles together in recent weeks and are quite familiar with each other's games. The latter was a solid player on clay during her prime and finished runner-up at the 2012 French Open.
Errani has shown that she still has the game to deal with her younger opponents as evidenced by her win over Kalinskaya. However, it has been a while since she backed up one big win with another. As such, Paolini will be the favorite to advance to the next round.
Predicted winner: Jasmine Paolini
