8th seed Anna Blinkova locks horns with compatriot Erika Andreeva in the round of 32 of the Lyon Open on Tuesday.
The 2022 Transylvania Open champion began the season by playing in the ASB Classic. She defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the first round but lost to Rebeka Masarova in the round of 16. Blinkova fared quite well in the Hobart International. She made it to the semis after progressing from the qualifiers. She defeated top seed Marie Bouzkova during the campaign. Blinkova eventually lost to Lauren Davis.
The Australian Open wasn’t as memorable for Blinkova as she crashed out in the first round. She lost to 10th seed Madison Keys in three sets 4-6, 6-3, 2-6.
The 18-year-old has made it to the main draw with wins against Viktoriya Tomova and Diane Parry in the qualifiers.
She got off to a disappointing start in 2023 as she lost in the first round of an ITF event in Australia earlier this month. She won the first two rounds of qualifying at the Australian Open but lost in the third round to Sara Bejlek. Prior to the Lyon Open, she played in an ITF event in France where she was seeded 4th. Her run ended in the second round following a loss to Zeynep Sonmez.
Erika Andreeva has a 2-0 lead over Anna Blinkova in the head-to-head scoreline. She defeated Blinkova in straight sets in their most recent meeting in an ITF event in the USA last year.
Prediction: Anna Blinkova to win in three sets.
More Tennis news
Follow our dedicated Tennis page for instant Tennis news and updates