OPEN DELLE PUGLIE: With the US Open in full swing, the Open delle Puglie will provide an opportunity for those lower ranked on the WTA Tour to pick up a victory. The Open delle Puglie is not a stalwart on the Tour having only been introduced last year, but it is a WTA 125 Tournament nonetheless and one that all of the players competing in it will want to win. We will take a closer look at the main contenders below.
Clara Burel – No. 1 Seed
But for a deep run into this year’s US Open, rising French star Clara Burel will head into the second edition of the Open delle Puglie as the top seeded player.
Ranking 62nd in the world, Burel is a very talented player who, aged 22, still has bags of potential to fulfil. Burel certainly brings excitement to the court with combining speed with a wide range of shots in her locker. Her lack of experience means that at times she can be very erratic in her shot choice and execution, but when she gets it right she makes for a very tough opponent.
Burel was certainly not playing her best tennis in the earlier months of the year but she loves the clay courts and in July reached just her second WTA Final at the Swiss Open, where she was defeated by Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
The France international is still yet to pick up her first title on the WTA Tour and is without a WTA 125 win, so the lack of notable performers in this tournament could provide the perfect opportunity for her to get off the mark.
Alizé Cornet – Experienced Winner
Cornet brings more French representation to the tournament, but unlike Burel will be relying on her winning experience and the plethora of matches she has under her belt to pick up another WTA Title here.
Cornet heads into the tournament as the second seed and at 33 will be bringing over 15 years of WTA Tour experience, having made her first appearance at the French Open in 2005. Since then, Cornet has gone on to win six titles on the WTA Tour, four of those coming on clay.
It has now been over five years since the former world number 11 had her last win on the Tour, but she looks close to being back to her best and could capitalise on what is a relatively unexperienced field here.
Olga Danilovic – Returning to the Top 100
Having struggled for form in 2023, 22-year-old Olga Danilovic has seen herself slip out of the top 100 in the world rankings.
The young Serb is another on the Tour with heaps of potential and she first showcased her talents aged just 17 when she won her first and only singles title back in 2018 at the Moscow River Cup. She has since been in one more final at the 2022 Swiss Open, and it is worth noting that both of these finals were on clay.
Danilovic is yet to truly live up the heights expected of her a few years back, but the left-handed youngster certainly brings another dimension to the court and it would be foolish to count her out of this tournament.
