It promises to be an entertaining second day at the WTA Palermo Open with a number of intriguing matches on the schedule in Sicily. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Qinwen Zheng vs Sara Errani and Peyton Stearns vs Ann Li. Which players do you expect to win through to the second round in Palermo?

WTA Palermo Day 2 Predictions

Emiliana Arango vs Petra Martic

Head-to-head: first meeting

Emiliana Arango’s game is all about grinding down her opponents. In April, she did that successfully on clay against the former French Open semifinalist Amanda Anisimova. However, the Colombian, who has never qualified for a Grand Slam, is not in Petra Martic’s class. Admittedly, the 33-year-old is no longer in her prime, but her all-round game should still be enough to break through Arnago’s defence. Martic’s experience playing against defensive players will help her here.

Prediction: Martic in 2
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Lucia Bronzetti vs Elsa Jacquemot

Head-to-head: Bronzetti 1-0 Jacquemot

These two played last week in the quarterfinal of the WTA 125 event in Contrexville, France. Lucia Bronzetti narrowly defeated  Elsa Jacquemot 4-6 6-3 6-4 in front of her home fans before going on to win the title. It could be a turning point in Bronzetti’s season, who has largely struggled for consistency this year. Despite how close their last meeting was, I expect the Italian to prevail for a second time against Jacquemot. The Frenchwoman will not have a local crowd to help her, and Bronzetti is undoubtedly feeling very confident after returning to form last week.

Prediction: Bronzetti in 2
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Ajla Tomljanovic vs Mayar Sherif

Head-to-head: first meeting

This is a tough first match on clay after the grass court season for Ajla Tomljanovic. Excluding the French Open, Mayar Sherif has finished as the  runner-up in her last four clay court tournaments, including in Contrexville last week. Tomljanovic is not bad on the dirt at her best, but she will likely be slightly rusty in this match. Her Egyptian opponent’s relentless attitude and quality clay court tennis are ideally placed to take advantage of that.

Prediction: Sherif in 2

Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports