Anna Blinkova vs Astra Sharma Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Palermo Open

Prediction published on 14/07/2024, 01:42  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 14/07/2024 at 21:36 in Tennis Predictions

Sixth seed Anna Blinkova returns to battle on clay at the Palermo Ladies Open and will play unseeded Astra Sharma next. Their first meeting since 2020 will be a first-round showdown with the winner facing Ajla Tomljanovic or Mayar Sherif next. Here’s a look at the numbers and a prediction for this match scheduled for Monday.

Anna Blinkova is having a torrid season and has struggled to claim wins. She arrives here with a losing record of 11-18 and is on a two-match skid. The Russian, who has won just three times in her last 10 outings, is coming off a first-round loss at Wimbledon.

She claimed just two victories during the grass swing, although it must be said that the lawn is not her preferred surface. Clay is, and she will hope to redeem herself after a poor run back in May. The 25-year-old has dropped 13 places in the live ranking and will start the week in 73rd place.

Astra Sharma last played in Palermo in 2021. It was her debut tournament and she would end up producing a quarter-final finish. The Australian, who is also struggling in 2024, will at the very least hope to equal her best result here.

Sharma is having a torrid campaign and has lost 14 times in 21 outings. Eleven of her defeats have come on clay but so too have six of her victories. The 28-year-old has barely played outside of clay since March. Sharma lost her last four matches and is coming off a first-round loss at the Bastad Challenger.

She is in poor form but with the head-to-head advantage over Blinkova, she will be confident of snapping this poor run. Sharma won the only encounter with Blinkova four years ago on clay at the French Open. She is currently down to 151st place in the live ranking.