Sixth seed Anna Blinkova squares off against Switzerland’s Joanne Zuger in the round of 32 of the WTA Angers Arena Loire Open on Monday.
The Moscow-born Blinkova will remember 2022 quite fondly as she won her first WTA Tour-level singles title this year. She defeated Jasmine Paolini to win the Transylvania Open in October. She also reached the finals at three events in France but lost to Ana Bogdan, Katie Boulter, and Tamara Korpatsch in the finals, respectively.
The Russian athlete also finished runner-up at a WTA 125 event in Saint-Malo in May. She lost to Beatriz Haddad Maia in the final. Last year at the Angers Arena Loire Open, Blinkova was ousted in the round of 16 by Zhang Shuai. Blinkova is coming into this tournament after a first-round exit in the WTA 125 event in Rouen.
The 22-year-old could have won a couple of titles this season but luck didn’t favor her in the finals of the events. She made it to her first final of the year at an ITF 25K event in March but lost to Adriana Reami in the final. In an ITF event in Portugal, Zuger reached the finals once again and even won the first set. However, she couldn’t close out the match and lost to Carole Monnet.
Zuger most recently played at the WTA 125 event in Andorra. Her campaign ended in the first round itself after suffering defeat to Alina Charaeva.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0 as the two players have never crossed paths before.
Prediction: Anna Blinkova to win in straight sets.
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