Day 4 here at the Washington Open might bring some names the average tennis fan may not have heard of, but those names have beaten some good players along the way to be in this position. For example, Zarina Diyas beat the teenage sensation Coco Gauff in straight sets, and Rebecca Peterson knocked out the top seed, Sloane Stephens, earlier in the week.
WTA Washington Open Day 4 Predictions
Zarina Diyas vs Lesia Tsurenko
Head-to-head: 2-2 tied
The pair actually played each other just a few weeks ago on the lawns of Eastbourne, just before Wimbledon, in which Tsurenko won. Even though that was played on grass, Tsurenko has also beaten Diyas on a hard court in 2018.
It will be a close match as Diyas will adjust her tactics from Eastbourne. But Tsurenko has been playing well the past few tournaments and should get the win over Diyas again here at Washington.
Prediction: Tsurenko in 3
Rebecca Peterson vs Camila Giorgi
Head-to-head: First meeting
Peterson was impressive by beating the top seed, Sloane Stephens, in the previous round. if she can keep that same level of intensity, then the young Swede has a good chance of advancing.
This is Giorgi’s first victory since the start of the year and she has not won back-to-back matches since the Australian Open in January. Based on Peterson’s performance against Stephens, the 23-year-old Swede should be full of confidence with her game and should advance to the next round as her opponent has been struggling with her game for the majority of the year.
Prediction: Peterson in 2
Caty McNally vs Christina McHale
Head-to-head: First meeting
Not much is known about McNally except that the teenager has won two junior Grand Slam (Roland Garros and US Open) doubles titles.
McHale, meanwhile, looked impressive as she beat the seventh seed here, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, in the first round. If she can keep that up, McNally will find it difficult to keep up with her compatriot, McHale’s, game style and confidence.
The 17-year-old’s run here at Washington will most likely come to an end here as simply because her opponent, McHale, is a far more experienced player in these kinds of matches,
Prediction: McHale in 2
>Su-Wei Hsieh vs Varvara Gracheva
Head-to-head: First meeting
Gracheva has already won three matches here at Washington as she came through qualifying. The 18-year-old Russian will no doubt have a lot of confidence in her game, but Hsieh’s use of spin and power has always been tricky for any player to deal with. The Russian will have to mentally prepare herself the variety of shots Hsieh brings to the game.
Hsieh should advance to the next round as her game style can be frustrating to play against, especially against an opponent who lacks professional match experience.
Prediction: Hsieh in 2
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