Brady’s labored comeback

It’s the big comeback. After being away for more than 800 days and having an almost blank 2025 season (only 6 tournaments), Brady is attempting a measured comeback in 2026. She’s shown fighting spirit in Indian Wells and Miami, often pushing her opponents to a third set, but she still doesn’t have enough in the tank to finish things off. Last match played on clay: 2021! You’re going to need to find your bearings again, my dear Jenny!

Tomova is a typical clay-court player: she doesn’t have power, but she doesn’t miss a thing. She’s going to force Brady to hit one shot too many. On this slow surface, Jenn’s power (her huge topspin forehand) is her number one weapon, but she’s likely to rack up a lot of unforced errors trying to shorten the rallies, because Tomova has shown great movement in her first two qualifying rounds, especially against Akli, a young, ultra-tenacious player! Viktoriya already has 5 hours of adaptation to the tournament, facing a veteran who might need some time to find her footing.

Sure, Tomova hasn’t shown anything for a year, taking a beating in the rankings on hard courts, but here, in her element, I think she’ll be on top without having to push too hard.