Tennis at Paris Olympics Day 1: Women's singles predictions ft. Caroline Garcia vs Jaqueline Cristian, Marta Kostyuk vs Yulia Putintseva
The opening day of the tennis tournament at the Paris Olympics will see some interesting matches in the women's singles tournament. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will take on Irina-Camelia Begu while fourth seed Jasmine Paolini will take on Jaqueline Cristian.
Eighth seed Danielle Collins will face Laura Siegemund while tenth seed Jelena Ostapenko will lock horns with Camila Osorio. The likes of Emma Navarro and Marta Kostyuk will also be in action.
On that note, let's take a look at the predictions for some of the women's singles matches that will take place in the opening day of the tennis competition at the Paris Olympics.
#1. Caroline Garcia vs Jaqueline Cristian
17th seed Caroline Garcia will face Jaqueline Cristian in the first round of the women's singles event at the Paris Olympics. It is the very first match between the two.
The Frenchwoman is coming off a disappointing Wimbledon campaign where she lost to Bernarda Pera despite being a set up. Cristian most recently competed at the Iasi Open, where she reached the quarterfinals before losing to Elena Avanesyan.
Garcia has won 16 out of 30 matches so far this season while Cristian triumphed in 18 out of 35 fixtures. While neither of the two players have been impressive so far in 2024, the Frenchwoman seems to be the superior of the two and she will also have the home support. This should be enough to see her through to the second round of the Paris Olympics.
Predicted Winner: Caroline Garcia
#2. Marta Kostyuk vs Yulia Putintseva
12th seed Marta Kostyuk will face Yulia Putintseva in the first round of the Paris Olympics. It will be the very first meeting between the two on the WTA Tour.
Both players last competed at Wimbledon 2024, with Kostyuk losing in the third round while Putintseva was knocked out in the fourth round. The Ukrainian has won 22 out of 35 matches so far this season while the Kazakh has come out on top in 26 out of 39 fixtures.
While Kostyuk is the higher-ranked player, Putintseva does have a slightly better record than the Ukrainian so far in 2024 and she has had some promising performances lately. So, there is a fair chance of the Kazakh coming out on top and reaching the second round of the Paris Olympics.
Predicted Winner: Yulia Putintseva.
#3. Jasmine Paolini vs Ana Bogdan
Fourth seed Jasmine Paolini will face Ana Bogdan in the first round of the women's singles event at the Paris Olympics. It will be the first encounter between the two on the WTA Tour.
Paolini last competed at Wimbledon where she reached her second straight Grand Slam final before losing to Barbora Krejcikova. Bogdan, on the other hand, lost in the qualifying rounds of the Budapest Grand Prix.
The Italian has had an impressive 2024 season so far, winning 30 out of 43 matches, triumphing at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Bogdan, on the other hand, has won just ten out of 23 fixtures.
Paolini will enter the match as the overwhelming favorite to win and given her current run of form, she should be able to win without much trouble and reach the second round of the Paris Olympics.
Predicted Winner: Jasmine Paolini.
#4. Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Varvara Gracheva
14th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia will take on Varvara Gracheva in the first round of the Paris Olympics. It will be the very first encounter between the two.
Haddad Maia last competed at Wimbledon, where she reached the third round while Gracheva lost in the first round of the Budapest Grand Prix. The Brazilian has won 19 out of 37 matches so far in 2024 while the Frenchwoman has come out on top in 11 out of 28 fixtures.
While neither player has been particularly impressive lately, Haddad Maia's form has been relatively better and she should be able to get the win to reach the second round of the Paris Olympics.
Predicted Winner: Beatriz Haddad Maia.