by
Bradley Gibbs
in
Tennis Picks
In Rouen, France on Monday, there’s a match between Sloane Stephens and Veronika Podrez. This is a match between a wild card and a qualifier. Sloane Stephens is no stranger to playing well in Rouen, where she won this tournament back in 2024, but she hasn’t exactly stepped on the gas since then, so much so that she’s now ranked all the way down at 552 in the world following an injury-hit season in 2025. In 2026, the American has battled back, but she’s yet to really hit her stride, especially on clay, where she’s lost three of her last four.
In contrast, Veronika Podrez, at just 19 years of age, is a young, improving player, one who has taken well to the conditions in Rouen, where she won both of her qualifying matches in straight sets. She ought to be better prepared for this match as a result and may just have more to offer than a player who is clearly nowhere near her best.
