Jaqueline Cristian vs Clara Tauson Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Linz

Prediction published on 28/01/2024, 07:19  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 28/01/2024 at 11:34 in Tennis Predictions

Clara Tauson takes on Jaqueline Cristian in the final qualifying round of the WTA Upper Austria Linz tournament. The winner goes into the main draw of this indoor hard court tournament. Cristian is the fifth seed in qualifying, two places above her opponent. The Romanian beat Caty McNally in straight sets in the first qualifying round of this tournament. Cristian is 89th in the live rankings and had a disappointing Australian Open. The 25-year-old lost in the first round to Katerina Siniakova in straight sets and has still never made it past the second round of a Grand Slam.  Her win in the first qualifying round saw her finally get a victory this year after three losses.

Cristian is 2-2 in previous meetings with Tauson and the Romanian has won both of the matches they have played on hard courts. Tauson is 91st in the live rankings and reached the second round of the Australian Open. Round one saw her beat Greet Merrin in straight sets and then she lost in three to the 18th seed Viktoria Azarenka, winning the middle one. This year has also see her get to the semi-final of the WTA 125 tournament held in Canberra. The 21-year-old won an ITF event last year but that was played on a carpet surface. The first qualifying round in Linz saw her get a straight sets win over wild card Tamara Kostic. This looks like being a close match and our slight preference is for Tauson to get the win.