Argentine and world number 47 Nadia Podoroska will be up against Britain’s Francesca Jones in the opening round of the 2021 WTA Yarra Valley Classic on Sunday, January 31. The match timings are yet to be revealed. Get the live streaming options of this Nadia Podoroska v Francesca Jones match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Nadia Podoroska v Francesca Jones Head to Head
This will be the third meeting between Podoroska and Jones and first on the WTA circuit. The previous two came in ITF competitions, both of which were hosted in 2020 and Podoroska won both times.
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Podoroska Coming off Opening Loss
Having begun her season at the WTA Abu Dhabi, Podoroska failed to get going against Sara Sorribes Tormo in their opening round encounter and lost in straight sets. Interestingly, Podoroska was a favourite going into that match, with the best odds of 2/3 for her victory but the manner in which she fell, losing 6-3, 6-3, would be slightly concerning.
Rustiness might have been a factor obviously, but then again, Podoroska’s record is way better on clay than it is on hard courts and that makes her vulnerable here as well.
She does have the confidence from the previous season to look at if she needs. Because at one time, ranked 258th in the world last season, the Argentine rallied to break into the top 50 – delivering one of the most improved performance of the year.
Because while she missed on winning the Most Improved Player of the Year award in 2020, Podoroska did go back home with the Newcomer of the Year prize for her semifinal appearance at the French Open. Can she replicate that glory on hard court surfaces now?
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Jones Moving Up Steadily
20-year-old Jones has made it to the main draw of this event on account of having travelled to Australia after qualifying for the year’s first Grand Slam. This will be her maiden appearance in the main draw of a major after her only previous attempt – at the 2019 Wimbledon – ended in an opening qualifying defeat.
It’s been a steady rise in the rankings for Jones who was 1187th in 2016, before breaking into the top 700 the following year. In 2018, she topped the top 400, while ending the 2019 season ranked 353rd in the world.
While there wasn’t a lot of tennis played in 2020, Jones broke into the top 250 on the WTA Rankings and another strong season could almost give her a chance to become Podoroska’s successor in the Newcomer of the Year award category.
Jones, like Podoroska, is more of a clay-courter though, with all her seven ITF finals – and five titles – having come on that surface. Can she now give her much higher-ranked Argentinian opponent a fight here?
Podoroska v Jones Prediction and Tip
While Podoroska’s record makes her a straightforward favourite, we think Jones could cause a flutter or two here and might take a set off her opponent at the very least.
Tip: Jones to win a set: 4/5 (bet365)
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The 2021 WTA Yarra Valley Classic will be played from January 31. You can watch & bet on the these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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