Catalonia Open 2023: Cirstea vs. Mandlik Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Catalonia Open final match in Reus featuring Sorana Cirstea vs. Elizabeth Mandlik on Sunday, May 7, 2023.

Sorana Cirstea vs. Elizabeth Mandlik Preview

Sorana Cirstea looks to lift her first WTA title in two years at the 125K Reus Challenger. But she faces an in-form Elizabeth Mandlik who could win her biggest WTA career title at the Catalonia Open. Who will prevail?

Sorana Cirstea was pushed all the way by American Lauren Davis in the semifinals of the Catalonia Open, eventually prevailing in two tight sets, 6-4, 7-5. It took an hour and 40 minutes for the Romanian to get the job done, although she will need to work on landing her first serves against Elizabeth Mandlik in the final. Cirstea landed 56% of first serves and was broken twice in the match.

Elizabeth Mandlik, meanwhile, needed over two hours to dispatch Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska, winning 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 to reach the biggest final of her career at the Catalonia Open. Mandlik, it should be noted, won one qualifying match to get into the main draw and has since taken down some terrific players on this surface including home favorite Nuria Parrizas Diaz in the quarters. Let’s see if Mandlik can capture her maiden WTA 125K title in Reus.

Sorana Cirstea vs. Elizabeth Mandlik Prediction and Pick

Sorana Cirstea and Elizabeth Mandlik have not played each other on the WTA level, with this final match at the Catalonia Open being their first meeting. Obviously, Cirstea is the more experienced player and should be expected to take comfort in playing a debutant in the biggest final of her young career. Mandlik is one to keep an eye on for the remainder of this season and beyond after her electric exploits at the ITF level and the WTA 500 event in San Jose late season. Clay is not her strongest surface, but she’s done her homework this week, playing some attacking tennis and showing remarkable resilience (winning a trio of three-set matches). But with that said, Cirstea executes much better and looks a lot more convincing of late after her resurgence on hard courts in North America. Back the Romanian to halt the American’s charge.