Day 1 of the WTA Cincinnati Premier event at the Western & Southern Open features a stacked order of play. We’ll see the always entertaining battle between Yulia Putintseva and Jelena Ostapenko, along with Maria Sharapova taking on Alison Riske in the night session. We also have predictions for more WTA Cincinnati Monday matches.
WTA Cincinnati Day 1 Predictions
Caroline Wozniacki vs Dayana Yastremska
H2H- First Meeting
Dayana Yastremska is proving to be one of the most dangerous players on tour at the moment. Yastremska reached the round of 16 in Toronto, defeating Johanna Konta and Victoria Azarenka along the way. Wozniacki will be looking for a deep run as she fine-tunes her game before the US Open in two weeks. The former #1 was upset in the round of 32 in Toronto by rising star Iga Swiatek. This should be one of the better matches in the early days of the tournament, but I like Wozniacki to get through in a close one.
Prediction: Wozniacki in 3
Maria Sakkari vs Camila Giorgi
H2H- Sakkari leads 1-0
Maria Sakkari will be looking forward to getting back on the court after losing a heartbreaker, 9-7 in the third set tiebreaker, to American Alison Riske in her last match. Giorgi, on the other hand, couldn’t continue her excellent form from Washington DC where she reached the final. Giorgi is very much a rhythm player, so when she’s on she’s tough to beat, but I think the more consistent player in Sakkari gets the win.
Prediction: Sakkari in 2
Yulia Putintseva vs Jelena Ostapenko
H2H- 1-1
This is one of those matches where if you’re on the grounds at the Western & Southern Open, it’s a must-see. There should be no shortage of entertainment or drama in this one with two of the most entertaining players on tour facing off against each other. Ostapenko played well in Toronto before falling to Marie Bouzkova who had a breakthrough run. I think Ostapenko is starting to play better each week and should be able to get past Putintseva in what should be a tough match.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 3
Maria Sharapova vs Alison Riske
H2H- Sharapova leads 3-0
Don’t let the H2H fool you, Sharapova is nowhere near the level she was at when she defeated Riske in the previous matches. Sharapova hasn’t had much luck on the court or in draws either with tricky matches against Kontaveit last week and Riske this week. Riske and Sharapova both go the distance a lot on their matches so I can see this one going three. I’ll go with the more consistent player in Riske though to advance to the second round.
Prediction: Riske in 3
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