It’s time to bring back the glorious days! The former world number one, Caroline Wozniacki, takes on the former number three, Elina Svitolina, in the first round of the Bad Homburg Open. This is Svitolina’s first grass court tournament of the season. However, Wozniacki is entering this contest after her R32 exit from the Birmingham Classic at the hands of the Belgian Elise Mertens. Last year, the Ukrainian tennis star played just one warm-up tournament ahead of Wimbledon and intends to do the same this year!

Svitolina had a decent grass court season last year and had also reached the SF of the Wimbledon Championships in 2023.  Caroline Wozniacki has struggled a bit with injuries and lack of consistency ever since making a comeback to the Tour. Can she get a winning momentum ahead of the mega grass event?

Caroline Wozniacki vs Elina Svitolina: Preview

Svitolina started 2024 by making it to the finals at the ASB Classic. Since then, she has not been able to play in the final stages. Elena Rybakina defeated her in the fourth round of the 2024 French Open. Svitolina will now be looking forward to forget that result and make a winning start in Germany. Looking at her numbers from her previous match, she hit five aces and committed just three double faults. Her first serve win percentage was 61%, while on the second serve, it was just 44%.

She converted two out of her three breakpoints against Rybakina. The Ukrainian player has hit 78 aces so far this season and has committed 55 double faults. Elina Svitolina has won 67% of her service games and 40.9% of her return games.

On the other hand, Caroline Wozniacki was defeated by Mertens by 4-6, 1-6 in her previous match in Birmingham. In that match, she hit just one ace and committed two double faults. Her first-serve win percentage was 61%, and her second-serve win percentage dropped to 24%. She managed to convert her single breakpoint chance against the Belgian while giving Mertens 5 out of 11.

Caroline Wozniacki has hit only 19 aces this season but has committed 30 double faults. She has won 62.9% of her service games and 42.7 of her return games as of now in this year.

Svitolina vs Wozniacki: Head-to-Head

Both of these two tennis stars have played against each other six times in their careers so far. Currently, Elina Svitolina leads the H2H scoreline with a 5-1 margin. Their first meeting was at the 2016 Miami Open, where Svitolina defeated Wozniacki by 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (1). Caroline Wozniacki got her solitary win at the WTA Finals in 2017. However, it was Svitolina who had the last laugh in their following encounters.

• 2017 Dubai Tennis Championships final: Svitolina 6-4, 6-2
• 2017 Canadian Open final: Svitolina 6-4, 6-0
• 2017 WTA Finals round robin: Wozniacki 6-2, 6-0
• 2018 WTA Finals round robin: Svitolina 5-7, 7-5, 6-3

They met at the 2024 ASB Classics, where the Ukrainian defeated the Danish tennis star by 6-4, 6-3. Svitolina hit five aces and one double fault, while  Wozniacki could only manage one ace and hit three double faults. Her first-serve win percentage was 56%, and her second-serve win percentage was 48%, while it was 57% each for Svitolina. The Ukrainian star converted five of ten breakpoints, and Wozniacki converted three out of nine.

Prediction: Svitolina to win in two sets

Svitolina looks to be in better form this season compared to her Danish opponent. Her win-loss record this year is 18-11, but for Wozniacki, it is just 7-8. Both are defensive baseliners who can jump swiftly to offense. The former number 3 is more capable of hitting low-risk winners from defensive positions. Consistent groundstrokes and has a strong backhand down the line can be her strongest weapons. However, a weak second serve can be disastrous for Svitolina.

Wozniacki on the other hand is known for her counter-punching style of play. She has good court coverage and can anticipate her opponent’s shots pretty well. Her biggest weapon in her armory has been her two-handed backhand, but her forehand is relatively weaker. Both are proven campaigners, but it’s just the current form that keeps the Ukrainian ahead of the Dane in this match.