Varvara Gracheva (Tennis Channel - Twitter)
Russia’s Varvara Gracheva will face Selena Janicijevic in the second round of the WTA Strasbourg event
Varvara Gracheva is an emerging star in the women’s tennis circuit. She is currently ranked World No.46 in WTA singles and has been drawn as the sixth seed in the WTA 250 Strasbourg tournament. The Russian has been in decent touch and has come to Strasbourg at the back of a semi-final appearance in the WTA 125K event in Paris.
Gracheva won her opening encounter against China’s Z. Bai in convincing fashion. Despite suffering a minor hiccup in the second set, the 22-year-old emerged victorious 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 to progress to the second round. She now faces a tricky challenge against France’s Selena Janicijevic. Gracheva is one of the favourites for the title in Strasbourg, but it remains to be seen if she can go all the way and clinch the title.
Selena Janicijevic is the local favourite and registered a hard-fought win against compatriot Oceane Dodin in her opening encounter. She showed immense grit to come back from a set down and win 2-6, 6-1, 6-4. The 20-year-old has the backing of the home crowd and will look to capitalise on home advantage during her clash against Gracheva. However, it is certainly not going to be easy against a seasoned campaigner. It remains to be seen if the French youngster has what it takes to cause a major upset against the Russian player.
Date – Wednesday, 24th May
Court Type – Clay outdoor surface
Telecast – Tennis Channel
Start Time – To be Announced
Location – Strasbourg
Match details – Round of 16
Gracheva and Janicijevic 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, Gracheva is the favourite both in terms of form and rankings. However, one can certainly not rule out the local girl Janicijevic and she is expected to put up a tough fight. We are predicting a close match with Gracheva eventually winning in three sets.
More Tennis news
Follow our dedicated Tennis page for instant Tennis news and updates