MATCH POINTS
Four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters' comeback continues in a barnburner of a first round against No.2 seed Johanna Konta. The pair have never played before; Clijsters, whose second career was ended in the second round of the 2012 US Open by Konta's compatriot Laura Robson, is seeking her first Top 20 win since defeating Ana Ivanovic in the third round of the 2012 London Olympic Games. Konta, meanwhile, has opened 2020 with three opening-round losses to Barbora Strycova in Brisbane, Ons Jabeur at the Australian Open and Oceane Dodin in St. Petersburg, and is looking for her first match win since triumphing over Karolina Pliskova in the fourth round of last year's US Open.
Today also sees the return to action of another mother and multiple major winner, No.7 seed Victoria Azarenka, taking the court for the first time since losing in the first round of last year's US Open to Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian will face Nurnberg finalist Tamara Zidansek for the first time, and is bidding for her first completed match win since beating Camila Giorgi in the first round of Toronto last August.
No.1 seed Elina Svitolina comes into Monterrey with just a 6-6 win-loss record in 2020 so far (4-5 excluding Fed Cup action), and is 2-1 against Danka Kovinic. Svitolina lost to the Montenegrin 6-4, 6-1 the first time they played in the first round of an ITF W25 event in Podgorica in 2012, but since then has won both of their meetings at WTA level, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in the first round of Istanbul 2014 and 6-3, 6-1 in the second round of Bogota 2015.
2016 champion Heather Watson, fresh off the Acapulco title last week, will bid to keep her Mexican winning streak going against Tatjana Maria. Watson won their only prior match 6-3, 7-6(8) in Toronto qualifying in 2017.
No.10 seed Lauren Davis opens against the in-form Pan American Games gold medallist Nadia Podoroska, who began 2020 with a 14-match winning streak that took in two ITF W25 titles and a semifinal run at the Newport Beach 125K. Since then, Podoroska has extended her season record to 19-2 and qualified for her first WTA main draw since Nurnberg 2018 - but Davis was the victor in their sole previous encounter, 6-2, 6-1 in the first round of Rabat 2017.
The Monterrey main draw features five mothers: Victoria Azarenka, Kim Clijsters, Kateryna Bondarenko, Tatjana Maria and Olga Govortsova. Bondarenko, who returned from her second maternity leave in September, opens against Sara Sorribes Tormo, to whom she has yet to drop a set in two previous meetings in Tokyo qualifying in 2015 and Doha qualifying in 2018.
ORDER OF PLAY (all courts start 10am)
ESTADIO GNP SEGUROS
Heather WATSON (GBR) vs Tatjana MARIA (GER)
After 1 ATP match, not before 2.30pm
[1] Elina SVITOLINA (UKR) vs Danka KOVINIC (MNE)
[7] Victoria AZARENKA (BLR) vs Tamara ZIDANSEK (SLO)
Not before 7pm
[WC] Kim CLIJSTERS (BEL) vs [2] Johanna KONTA (GBR)
CANCHA 1
[10] Lauren DAVIS (USA) vs [Q] Nadia PODOROSKA (ARG)
Kateryna BONDARENKO (UKR) vs Sara SORRIBES TORMO (ESP)
After 1 ATP match
[Q] Stefanie VOEGELE (SUI) vs [SE] Leylah FERNANDEZ (CAN)
After 1 ATP match
Anastasia POTAPOVA (RUS) vs [Q] Giulia GATTO-MONTICONE (ITA)
CANCHA 2
Arantxa RUS (NED) vs [LL] Varvara FLINK (RUS)
Cornelia LISTER (SWE) / Yana SIZIKOVA (RUS) vs Miyu KATO (JPN) / WANG Yafan (CHN)
Caroline DOLEHIDE (USA) / Astra SHARMA (AUS) vs [2] Desirae KRAWCZYK (USA) / Giuliana OLMOS (MEX)
Marie BOUZKOVA (CZE) / Renata VORACOVA (CZE) vs [4] Monique ADAMCZAK (AUS) / Maria SANCHEZ (USA)
