The WTA Tour kicks off its well awaited grass-court season in s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands for the Ricoh Open. The talented field is headlined by Belinda Bencic, Jelena Jankovic, and Kristina Mladenovic who lead the pack as the top three seeds. But with a dense draw of rising stars and experience, the task will only be difficult for the top players this week.
First Quarter
Belinda Bencic sits at the top of the draw as the top-seeded player. The Swiss teen is making her return to the tour after having been absent for two full months. Her last match was a 6-1, 6-1 loss to Elena Vesnina in Charleston. Bencic struggled with a back injury, but time away from the heavy competition has allowed her to get her focus back on improving for her many events yet to be played in 2016.
Most notably joining Bencic in the first quarter is Anna-Lena Friedsam, Viktorija Golubic, and Varvara Lepchenko. The Swiss 19-year-old lacks the match preparation, which should make her potential second round matchup with Lepchenko interesting. Kirsten Flipkens also sits among the top quarter of the draw, and as a former Wimbledon semifinalist, she should be expected to cause some trouble for either Golubic or Friedsam in the second round.
Prediction: Lepchenko over Flipkens in the quarterfinals.
Second Quarter
Kristina Mladenovic is seeded third this week in Holland. Her recent performance against the world number one, Serena Williams, was rather impressive. The Frenchwoman has done particularly well on the grass in the past, but she is faced with the most difficult draw which contains a handful of in-form players. Mladenovic will need her serve to be working if she sees herself advancing past the quarterfinals.
Mladenovic sits near Yaroslava Shvedova, Kiki Bertens, Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, and Eugenie Bouchard in her tough section of the draw. If Mladenovic plays the tennis she played in Paris, she could set up an enticing quarterfinal clash with Bouchard, who is expected to get passed Bertens in the second round. Bertens may have just reached a Grand Slam semifinal, but yours truly expects a cracking under pressure.
Prediction: Mladenovic over Bouchard in the quarterfinals.
Third Quarter
Jelena Ostapenko is the fourth seed this week at the Ricoh Open. The Latvian teenager suffered a disappointing first round loss at Roland Garros, but she has done well on the grass courts in the past. Notably, she won the junior Wimbledon title in 2014 along with many more impressive grass court wins. She has a winnable draw, but she will also need a winnable mindset as her attitude will be the difference between her winning the tournament or not.
Ostapenko is accompanied by Laura Siegemund and Madison Brengle in her quarter. Siegemund and Brengle are the only two players in the third quarter who deem any kind of threat to the hard-hitting Latvian. The German and the American will square off in the opening round, and the winner should be expected to take on Ostapenko in the quarterfinals.
Prediction: Ostapenko over Brengle in the quarterfinals.
Fourth Quarter
Jelena Jankovic has yet to win a singles match since March at Indian Wells. The Serbian has struggled to find her form this spring due to an ongoing injury, but Jankovic is expected to get a couple matches under her belt this week. The second seed's brilliant ball-striking is a must if she sees herself back in the winner's circle anytime soon.
Jankovic is at the bottom of the draw as the second seed. Her route to the quarterfinals is pretty straightforward, as the only competition she is anticipated to face is CoCo Vandeweghe. If the Serb and the American face off, it will be the better server who will advance to the semifinals, despite their last match's scoreline. Vandeweghe took home the Dutch trophy back in 2014 and with her memories in s-Hertogenbosch, the sixth seed could be well on her way to another WTA title.
Prediction: Vandeweghe over Jankovic in the quarterfinals.
Semifinal predictions: Mladenovic over Lepchenko, Vandeweghe over Ostapenko.
Final predictions: Vandeweghe over Mladenovic in the finals of the Ricoh Open for the American's second career WTA title and her second title in the Netherlands in three years.