The experienced Audrey Albie and the exuberant Varvara Gracheva collide in the round of 16 of the Open de Limoges on Wednesday
The Frenchwoman has already bettered her result from last year at the Limoges. She crashed out in the first round last year following a loss to Ulrikke Eikeri. Albie came into the tournament on the back of a disappointing campaign in the ITF event in Petange where she was ousted in the first round.
The 28-year-old faced fellow Frenchwoman Emeline Dartron in the round of 32. Albie proved to be too strong for the qualifier Dartron as the veteran came out victorious in straight sets 6-3, 6-3. Dartron came into the tournament on the back of some good form but that didn’t count for much as she was clinically outplayed by her opponent.
The youngster from Russia entered the tournament after being knocked out in the round of 16 at the WTA Angers Arena Loire Open last week. The 22-year-old who reached the third round at the French Open for the second straight year earlier this season managed to pull off an upset win against the vastly experienced Alize Cornet in the round of 32 in Limoges.
Gracheva dropped the first set against third seed Cornet and it seemed that the end was near for her. However, an inspired performance in the second set saw her take the match into the decisive third set. Gracheva dominated the third set and eventually won 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0 as the two players have never faced each other in the main draw of any tournament. However, Gracheva has a win against Albie in a qualifying match at an ITF event in France in 2019 in straight sets.
Prediction: Varvara Gracheva to win in straight sets.
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