Nikola Bartunkova vs Taylor Townsend Prediction & Betting Tips - ATX Open

Prediction published on 24/02/2026, 13:47  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 25/02/2026 at 16:20 in Tennis Predictions

The qualifier Nikola Bartunkova and the wildcard Taylor Townsend face off next at the ATX Open in Austin. This is their first career meeting. Read on for our prediction of the match.

Nikola Bartunkova defeated crowd favorite Katie Volynets in straight sets in the first round. The teenage sensation, who is having an exciting season, has yet to drop a set so far this week.

She has won three matches, starting from the qualifying rounds, to improve to 10 wins from 13 outings. Bartunkova, who made the third round at the Australian Open as a qualifier, has also recorded a quarter-final finish in Ostrava.

After winning her opening round tie, the Czech star has shot up 11 places to 96th in the live ranking.

Taylor Townsend is back in Austin seeking a more sustained presence to offset a slow start to the year. The American, who has never progressed past the second round at this event, has won three of five matches this season.

Townsend arrived to start the week having lost two matches in a row. She was able to snap this negative run with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over lucky loser Linda Fruhvirtova.

The match, one of the longest this season in the WTA, lasted three hours. Advancing to this round has seen Townsend move up three places in the live ranking to 116th.