Level: WTA 250 | Prizemoney: $267,082 | Surface: Clay | Singles: 32 | Doubles: 16
With the beginning of the clay season in full swing, we turn to Rouen in France for the 2024 Capfinances Rouen Metropole Open. This is an interesting tournament on the WTA tour as it’s played on indoor clay, posing an exciting deviation from the usual clay court grind. The surface means players will benefit from the ball speed and consistency that an indoor court provides, crossed with the topspin friendly, grippy nature of clay. It’s the perfect clay court for a big server with an aggressive topspin-oriented game.
The Rouen Open has been upgraded from a 125 to a WTA 250 this year and has such attracted a strong pool of players. What better way to prepare for Roland Garros than on French clay courts. The draw includes names such as Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Caroline Garcia, Sloane Stephens and yes, Naomi Osaka is back playing on clay for the first time since Roland Garros 2022.
Players to look out for in Rouen
A big story of the tournament is returning Japanese star Naomi Osaka. Although clay isn’t her preferred surface, when Naomi gets some rhythm, she is almost unstoppable. The faster indoor clay should suit her big hitting, first strike game style. It will be interesting to see how Osaka fairs this tournament, but I think everyone is just excited to see her back on the clay.
Anhelina Kalinina is someone to look out for in Rouen. The Ukrainian climbed to a career high ranking of 25 in the world last year, and has defeated both Wozniacki and Sabalenka in the past few weeks. Kalinina is a more typical clay courter with an all-round consistent game and never say die attitude. She has found form in recent weeks and is definitely a threat.
Caroline Garcia has always been a fierce competitor. She has a great serve and a superb net game which has been honed by her success on the doubles court. An indoor clay court could be a perfect surface for her as she has a great kick serve and likes to stay aggressive with her topspin forehand.
Finally, Sloane Stevens is always one to watch with her dynamic movement and powerful groundstrokes. Sloane is no stranger to clay courts having made the final of Roland Garros back on 2018. I think Sloane is a bit of a dark horse here and as the 6th seed she will hopefully have a pathway through to the quarters, if not beyond.
Winner Prediction
So, my pick for Rouen this year… Caroline Garcia. She’s just come off a quarter final appearance in Miami after taking out both Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff. She is the second highest ranked player in the draw and is playing in front of a home crowd. On top of that I think the indoor clay will really complement her game style. So, will Garcia take out the Rouen open? Who do you think will rule the indoor clay courts? Let us know in the comments!
Written by Emerson Valentino
