Top seed Zhang Shuai takes on the in-form Alycia Parks in the round of 32 of the WTA Angers Arena Loire Open on Tuesday.
Two-time Grand Slam champion in doubles will look to get her campaign in Angers off to a good start after losing in the quarterfinals in the WTA 125 event in Andorra last week.
Shuai isn’t having a great finish to the season. After reaching the round of 16 at the US Open and the semifinals in Japan, the Chinese veteran has struggled with indifferent form and her win in the first round in Andorra against Nina Stojanovic was her first victory since September. Shuai will hope to use all her experience to get the better of a red-hot Alycia Parks.
The 21-year-old is having a phenomenal finish to the season. She has been hitting some fireballs to the other side of the net and catching her opponents off-guard. Parks most recently played in the WTA Andorra Open and went on to win the title.
During the tournament, the American youngster fired a whopping 61 aces in 5 matches. She defeated Rebecca Peterson in the final. Parks will also remember 2022 for winning her first-ever WTA tour-level title in the doubles circuit which came at the Ostrava Open. The win at Andorra will surely give her a lot of confidence as she gears up to face a stiff challenge against the experienced Shuai.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0 as the two players have not faced each other as yet.
Prediction: Alycia Parks to win in three sets.
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