Heather Watson vs Marie Bouzkova Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Birmingham

Prediction published on 17/06/2024, 03:02  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 17/06/2024 at 03:05 in Tennis Predictions

Eighth-seed Marie Bouzkova and wildcard Heather Watson will meet at the Birmingham Classic this Tuesday. The two will battle in the first round, with the winner playing Amelia Rajecki or Diana Shnaider for a place in the quarter-finals. Heather Watson will hope returning to a tournament she has previously had success in will be the turnaround for her season. A former Birmingham semi-finalist, the Briton has struggled this year and arrives having compiled a disappointing 9-12 record. In recent weeks, Watson has managed just two wins in her last 11 fixtures. The 32-year-old had lost four straight matches before she arrived in Nottingham where she was eliminated in the second round. Her struggles have greatly impacted her world ranking. The former WTA top 40 player, starts this week down a massive 40 places to 198th in the world.

Marie Bouzkova seems to have overcome her early season struggles and will arrive for this match confident of a win. The Czech has registered seven of her 12 wins this year in her last 10 outings. Though she isn’t a strong grass player, Bouzkova has the momentum to make a deep run here. This is her third main draw appearance in Birmingham. Last year, making her return after a year hiatus, she suffered a first-round exit. Bouzkova made the Birmingham quarter-finals in 2021; this remains her best result. The 25-year-old is making her season debut on grass and is coming off a third-round finish at the French Open. She starts the week ranked 37th in the WTA. Bouzkova finished as runner-up in Bogota during the clay season. This continued an impressive run of five successive seasons of making the final of a tour event.