Emma Raducanu will take on lucky loser Tamara Korpatsch in a second-round encounter at the 2022 Stuttgart Open on Thursday.
Raducanu, the eighth seed, made a dominant start to her campaign as she brushed aside Storm Sanders 6-2, 6-1 in her first match. The win was the youngster's first on a claycourt in the WTA Tour.
Korpatsch, meanwhile, scored an upset win over Camila Giorgi in her opening round contest here. The German showed incredible fight to come back after dropping the first set to outlast her more fancied opponent 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-1.
Korpatsch lost to Storm Sanders in the final round of qualifying and entered the draw as a lucky loser. She has managed to make the best of the opportunity and will look to continue her run.
Given the gulf in the world rankings, Raducanu will enter this contest a favorite. That said, the Brit needs to be wary of Tamara Korpatsch, who is comfortable playing on the red dirt.
The German has won quite a few matches on the surface of late, having lifted the ITF title in Le Havre, France and reaching the finals of WTA 125K Marbella Open. She also put up an inspired performance against Camila Giorgi, playing more aggressively and finishing points quicker. Her forehand was firing on all cylinders in the first round and she will look to emulate the same on Thursday.
Raducanu, for her part, has been timing the ball nicely as well and was in complete control during her opening match. The Brit could play with some more aggression, especially on return as her opponent has an exploitable second serve.
If she continues to play as freely as she did in her match against Giorgi, Korpatsch could well cause a few problems for Raducanu. But if the Brit can hold her opponent off long enough and put pressure on her serve, she should be able to break the German down.
