Day two of the US Open and time for some more predictions for today’s action. Niall Clarke is joined by Qatari guest Ahmed Isam to run down five of the best women’s matches on the second day.
Panelist Predictions: US Open Women’s Day 2
Lucie Safarova vs Lesia Tsurenko
Niall: Safarova and Tsurenko will collide for the second time in a matter of days. The Ukrainian’s good form saw her reach the semi-finals of New Haven where she would lose in straight sets to the Czech. There is upset potential in this one, but I am going to predict Lucie to battle through
Prediction: Safarova in 3
Ahmed: The US Open draw is filled with several interesting first round matches, which means there is a reasonable possibility to see some upsets. The French Open Finalist, Lucie Safarova, who is having her best season on the WTA tour this year, will open her US Open campaign with a match against the tricky Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko who is also having her best year so far. The 26-year-old Ukrainian — ranked 31st in the race — is coming to this match in a great form and has proved to be a tough opponent for Safarova before. They met in New Haven which ended up in a close match won by the Czech. Everything considered, Safarova is the favourite to win this match but Tsurenko has the potential to pull off the upset. It’s one of the toughest R1 matches for a top 10 player.
Prediction: Safarova in 3
Andrea Petkovic vs Caroline Garcia
Niall: An interesting match-up here with a nice style contrast. The aggressiveness of Garcia goes up against the counter-punching of Petkovic. The German won their previous meeting at Eastbourne in straight sets. However, after a bad run of form Garcia has put together some good wins in recent weeks. There is a slight injury concern for Petkovic but she should be fine for this match. A tough one to predict because the Frenchwoman can be so random so I will go safe and say Petkovic gets through.
Prediction: Petkovic in 3
Ahmed: This is another tough match to predict. Top 20 German Andrea Petkovic faces the talented rising French star Caroline Garcia, who is having her best year on the WTA tour. They met in only one match before which was on grass this season in Eastbourne; Petkovic won it 6-2 6-4. Grass is Garcia’s worst surface, so this meeting on HC will be trickier for the German. Caroline Garcia is streaky player with high upside, therefore this match can go either way.
Prediction: Garcia in 3
Garbine Muguruza vs Carina Witthoeft
Niall: Wimbledon finalist, Garbine Muguruza, has struggled since making her maiden grand slam final at SW19. The Spaniard recently split with her coach too so there is a question on whether that will affect her performance. Fellow youngster, Witthoeft, is having her best season to date and will provide a tricky round one test. However, Muguruza brings her best to the grand slams and I see this one being no different.
Prediction: Muguruza in 2
Ahmed: Rising star and Wimbledon finalist Garbine Muguruza will be facing the young German Carina Witthoeft. After her stunning success in both French Open and especially Wimbledon, Muguruza suffered from two first round losses in a row against Yaroslava Shvedova and Lesia Tsurenko which lead to her firing her coach. Muguruza seems to lack confidence at the moment and the pressure is massive on her shoulders to prove herself as a stable top 10 player after making the final at Wimbledon. It will be interesting to see how she deals with the pressure and the high expectations. Her opponent, Witthoeft, is not experienced enough on the WTA tour yet but she is a talented young rising German who has the potential to be a good player in the future. Nonetheless, she might not be ready to cause the upset at this point in her career against arguably the most improved player this season.
Prediction: Muguruza in 2
Timea Bacsinszky vs Barbora Strycova
Niall: Comeback player of the year contender Bacsinszky had a fantastic start to the year but has since struggled to put together wins. She is riding a three match losing streak heading in to the US Open and is looking to rediscover her early season form. Strycova is a tricky player, but she is also struggling for confidence. It could be close but I am siding with the Swiss here.
Prediction: Bacsinszky in 2
Ahmed: Speaking of most improved players, the rising Swiss #1 Timea Bacsinszky will face a tricky opponent in the first round in Barbora Strýcová. Bacsinszky had a terrible US Open series after sensational runs in both French Open and Wimbledon where she made it to the semi-final and quarter-final stages respectively. The Swiss will be looking to prove something in this US Open after a horrible build-up. However, Stryova will not be an easy opponent if she is playing well and she has beaten some top 20 players before in her career.
Prediction: Bacsinszky in 2
Mona Barthel vs Tsvetana Pironkova
Niall: This should be a hotly contested battle between two talented unseeded players. Both have strong backhands and can hit with a fair amount of pace, but they are also inconsistent. It will truly come down to who is better on the day.
Prediction: Pironkova in 3
Ahmed: Talented German Barthel will face the Bulgarian #1 Pironkova. Both of these players have similar strengths and weakness in fact. They have beautiful elite backhands with great finishing firepower and also a good serve that gives them free points. However, both suffer when it comes to the forehand wing because it is quite unreliable and as a result, leaks many unforced errors. Both are not having their best seasons in 2015. All in all, it is extremely hard to predict the winner in this match because both of them are such streaky players.
Prediction: Barthel in 3
Enjoy what you see? Check out all of our complete coverage of the 2015 US Open here.
Main Photo via Getty.
