Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Top seed Aliaksandra Sasnovich will face Katie Volynets of the US in the WTA 125K Paris tournament
Aliaksandra Sasnovich has been in poor form this season and has suffered early eliminations from most of the tournaments she has played so far this year. The 29-year-old is ranked World No.47 in WTA women’s singles but she hasn’t quite played like a Top 50 player this year. Sasnovich will be aiming to turn things around in Paris and set a positive tone for the remainder of the season.
She is coming into this match following an early exit from the Italian Open. The No.1 seed began her campaign in Paris with a comprehensive 6-1, 7-5 win over Clara Burel and is now set to face the challenge of America’s Katie Volynets. Sasnovich is the favourite to win this 125K event but there is certainly no room for complacency.
Katie Volynets has had a pretty disappointing season so far barring a one-off semi-final appearance at the ATX Open in March. However, she did well to make it to the Semi-finals of the WTA 125 Saint-Malo tournament last week. Volynets pulled off two major upsets against third seed Maryna Zanevska and seventh seed Magdalena Frech before eventually losing to Greet Minnen in the semis. She will be aiming to continue her good form in Paris.
The young American is currently ranked just outside the top 100 at 102nd place in the WTA singles rankings. She will be looking to draw confidence from her good showing at Saint-Malo and put together a string of wins in Paris. She has started well with a 6-0, 7-6 victory against Carol Zhao but it remains to be seen if she has what it takes to cause an upset against the top seed.
Date – Thursday, 18th May
Court Type – Clay outdoor surface
Telecast – Tennis Channel
Start Time – To be Announced
Location – Paris
Match details – Round of 16
Sasnovich and Volynets have never played each other before on the WTA tour. This is the first professional head to head clash between the two players. On paper, Sasnovich is the outright favourite both in terms of form and rankings. However, one can certainly not rule out the American and she is expected to put up a tough fight. We are predicting an intense encounter with Sasnovich eventually edging out Volynets in three sets.
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