Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Bad Homburg match.
The third seed at this WTA 500 event, Mirra Andreeva, is set to face Clara Tauson, who is not far behind her in the WTA rankings. The Russian currently leads the head-to-head 3–0.
Mirra Andreeva
The 18-year-old from Krasnoyarsk holds a clear advantage in expectations, but does that reflect what we’ll see on court? After a disappointing quarter-final elimination at Roland-Garros, Mirra Andreeva returned to action on grass in Berlin just a couple of weeks later. Her first match on the surface was far from encouraging. In the round of 32, Russia’s top-ranked player suffered a heavy defeat to world No. 25 Magdalena Fręch, going down 6:2, 5:7, 0:6. The match told a story of steadily diminishing energy across the sets. By the final one, it looked as if she was simply eager for the match to end.
Clara Tauson
The Danish player arrives in Bad Homburg ranked No. 23, only a few spots ahead of Magdalena Fręch. Instead of playing in Berlin, Clara Tauson chose to compete in Nottingham, a lower-tier event. She reached the quarter-finals but lost to sixth seed Magda Linette, despite being seeded second herself (2:6, 5:7). In Bad Homburg, she had to get past Magdalena Fręch, who had just dismantled Mirra Andreeva. It took her 2 hours and 21 minutes to do so, eventually prevailing 6:7, 6:3, 6:3 — a taxing contest that may have taken a toll on her fitness.
Mirra Andreeva vs Clara Tauson Prediction
All three previous meetings between Mirra Andreeva and Clara Tauson have occurred this season. The first two were played on hard courts, while the most recent was on clay. On the slower surface, Tauson found it easier to counter Andreeva’s style, pushing the match to three sets (7:5, 3:6, 2:6). This time, they meet on a quicker court, and the Russian, having received a first-round bye, enters the match fresher. That additional rest, along with Andreeva’s historical edge over the Dutch, suggests that the Russian (No. 6) holds at least a slight advantage and is the likelier winner here.
