Tennis acca tips for Wednesday, April 17: Aryna Sabalenka to return with a win

Aryna Sabalenka is set to make her return to the WTA Tour with a match against her good friend Paula Badosa in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix at Stuttgart. 

The Belarusian has lost three straight Stuttgart finals and is determined to finally get over the line at the event.

Here we make our picks for a handful of ATP and WTA Tour matches slated to be played on Wednesday 17 April.

 

ATP Barcelona: Alexandre Muller vs Casper Ruud | Pick: Ruud

ATP Barcelona: Karen Khachanov vs Roberto Bautista Agut | Pick: Khachanov

ATP Barcelona: Marco Trungelliti vs Nicolas Jarry | Pick: Jarry

ATP Barcelona: Sebastian Ofner vs Stefanos Tsitsipas | Pick: Tsitsipas

WTA Stuttgart: Liudmilla Samsonova vs Anastasia Potapova | Pick: Samsonova

WTA Stuttgart: Paula Badosa Gibert vs Aryna Sabalenka | Pick: Sabalenka

WTA Stuttgart: Sachia Vickery vs Cori Gauff | Pick: Gauff 

WTA Stuttgart: Marta Kostyuk vs Laura Siegemund | Pick: Kostyuk

 

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ATP Barcelona: Alexandre Muller vs Casper Ruud

Casper Ruud defeated Alexandre Muller in qualifying for the French Open in 2018 but both players have moved on from that match.

Ruud has since appeared in Grand Slam finals while Muller has slipped away from his peak ranking of world number 71.

Ruud was a finalist in Monte Carlo last week but is yet to secure his first title at ATP 500 or higher level.

Muller was in good touch as he saw off Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the opening round but Ruud will be a tougher nut to crack.

 

ATP Barcelona: Karen Khachanov vs Roberto Bautista Agut

Karen Khachanov and Roberto Bautista Agut have met 10 times in the past with the Spaniard leading the head-to-head.

While Bautista Agut has won 6 of their meetings, it has been Khachanov who has come out on top the last two times they have clashed.

Bautista Agut was knocked out of the Monte Carlo Masters at the second round and meets a top player in his second assignment again this week.

Khachanov was a semi-finalist in Monte Carlo and looks like he will challenge for a top-ten place this season.

 

ATP Barcelona: Marco Trungelliti vs Nicolas Jarry

Marco Trungelliti and Nicolas Jarry meet for the third time overall and second time on the full ATP Tour.

Trungelliti defeated Jarry a decade ago in a Challenger event but since then the latter has matured considerably.

Jarry beat the Argentine journeyman in Barcelona last season after Trungelliti had come through.

Trungelliti has come through qualifying again and won his first-round match but Jarry should still have his number.

 

ATP Barcelona: Sebastian Ofner vs Stefanos Tsitsipas

Monte Carlo champion Stefanos Tsitsipas will be out to get on a roll ahead of the back-to-back Masters events in Madrid and Rome.

Tsitsipas beat Sebastian Ofner at the French Open in the last 16 in 2023 in what has been the only meeting between the players until their Barcelona clash.

Tsitsipas can extend his winning run to seven matches if he can best the Austrian.

Ofner would have to hope that Tsitsipas is well off his game to have any hope of progress.

 

WTA Stuttgart: Liudmilla Samsonova vs Anastasia Potapova

Compatriots Liudmilla Samsonova and Anastasia Potapova have split their two previous meetings.

Samsonova holds the rankings edge right now and has previously threatened to break into the top ten.

Samsonova has a slight edge in clay court experience which could count in her favour.

Potapova has a better win rate on clay but not by a margin that suggests she is that much better on the surface.

 

WTA Stuttgart: Paula Badosa Gibert vs Aryna Sabalenka

Paula Badosa and Aryna Sabalenka will clash again just weeks after an emotional meeting in Miami.

Sabalenka's Miami win gave her the edge in the head-to-head between these players.

Badosa has been improving as she returns to full fitness but this one will still be a big battle.

Sabalenka has a great record in Stuttgart and knows the arena and court well.

 

WTA Stuttgart: Sachia Vickery vs Coco Gauff

Sachia Vickery faces a massive clash against compatriot Coco Gauff after she upset Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the opening round.

Gauff will know her opponent fairly well even though they haven't clashed in a head-to-head match.

She may be much younger than Vickery but Gauff's comfort on the big stage subverts expectations around experience in this one.

Gauff suffered disappointments in the Sunshine Double despite playing well and will want to contend for the title in Stuttgart.

 

WTA Stuttgart: Marta Kostyuk vs Laura Siegemund

Marta Kostyuk is another realistic title contender in Stuttgart after a great start to her campaign.

Kostyuk lost her first meeting with Siegemund but that was nearly five years ago now and that shouldn't have much bearing on this meeting.

This might be Siegemund's last visit to Stuttgart as a player which could inspire an impressive performance.

However, Kostyuk appears to have championship quality at her disposal this season and will be favoured to progress.