Caroline Wozniacki and Yanina Wickmayer hope to conclude their opening round match at the Aegon Classic on Thursday. After many rain delays and play suspensions, the pair will play their ninth match against one another as the second match on Court 1. Wozniacki leads three games to two in the first set, but Wickmayer holds the momentum with having won the last two games.
Recent form
Wozniacki is on her comeback after undergoing an ankle injury that caused her to miss Fed Cup and the clay-court season. The Dane made her return after being off the tour for two months last week in Nottingham at the Aegon Open. The world number 35 opened up her grass-court swing with a solid win over Cagla Buyukakcay before falling to hard-hitting Estonian in Anett Kontaveit. But the Danish number one's past record over the Belgian may give her the confidence to pick up her second win in a matter of months.
Wickmayer has reached the finals once in the past in Birmingham, which occurred back in 2008. Her ground strokes penetrate the grass court to ultimately allow her to dictate from both wings, but particularly off her backhand. She is fresh off a disappointing loss against Andrea Hlavckova in Nottingham, which added to her list of disappointments this season. The Belgian holds an 11-15 record in 2016, and her search for wins will not get any easier as she is faced with a tough draw this week at the Aegon Classic.
Previous head-to-head matchups
Wozniacki lead Wickmayer six wins to two in their series of eight meetings. The Danish number one held a perfect record over the Belgian from 2009-2012 with six consecutive wins for Wozniacki. But Wickmayer victories in their two previous encounters, which both came two years ago. Although, they have only met once on the green, luxurious surface which occurred at the 2012 Olympic Games where Wozniacki stole the win in three sets. But with their last matchup being two years ago, their past outcomes will not play a role in the match.
Analysis
Wozniacki and Wickmayer are both more comfortable striking their backhand as it is their go-to shot that seems to never let them down. Thursday's match should be expected to consist of many cross-court backhand rallies before one of the players find the right ball with accurate footwork to change the direction to their opposition's forehand. In the battle of the backhands, yours truly anticipates sharp angles to open up the shaky forehand wings. Their serves will also play a huge role in the outcome of the match. Both players play a similar game style and rely on their return game rather than their serve. Whoever can out-craft and out-hit their opponent while dictating on serve will advance to the second round in Birmingham.
Final Thoughts
Even though Wickmayer has had a let-down of a year thus far, her heavy ground strokes and fierce intensity should be too much for the returning Wozniacki to handle on Thursday.
Prediction: Wickmayer in three sets