Day 2 of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati should be good, with numerous former Grand Slam champions in action. Venus Williams will take the court again after her first-round win over Lauren Davis, and Victoria Azarenka will face Belinda Bencic in a blockbuster first-round match. In addition to this set, we have more Day 2 predictions.
WTA Cincinnati Day 2 Predictions
Victoria Azarenka vs Belinda Bencic
H2H- Azarenka leads 1-0
Both of these players probably weren’t too happy when they saw their draw. Even though Azarenka isn’t a shell of what she used to be, I feel like she’s still capable of beating top players on any given day. With that being said, Azarenka hasn’t been able to find much form as of late, and I think that continues. Bencic wins a close one.
Prediction: Bencic in 3
Viktoria Kuzmova vs Saisai Zheng
H2H- Kuzmova leads 1-0
Zheng is coming off one of the best weeks of her professional career a couple of weeks ago in San Jose. She wasn’t able to keep the momentum going in Toronto, losing to Tatjana Maria in the first round, but was probably fatigued from the week before. Kuzmova will be playing in her first hardcourt event post-Wimbledon after a couple of weeks on the clay. I think Zheng will be re-energized after a week off and should get past Kuzmova here.
Prediction: Zheng in 2
Ons Jabeur vs Jennifer Brady
H2H- First Meeting
Both Jabeur and Brady should be in good form after coming through qualifying over the weekend. The American also went toe-to-toe with Simona Halep in Toronto, losing 7-5 in a third-set tiebreaker. Even though she lost, it has to give her confidence playing that competitively against a grand slam champion. Jabeur plays well on hard courts, but I’d give a slight edge to Brady here playing at home.
Prediction: Brady in 2
Sofia Kenin vs Julia Goerges
H2H- 1-1
It’ll be interesting to see how Kenin handles the quick turnaround in Cincinnati after a deep run in Toronto, reaching the semifinals before falling to eventual champion Bianca Andreescu. Goerges is far from an easy 1R match as well. After seeing Kenin’s impressive run last week, I think she picks up where she left off and gets the win.
Prediction: Kenin in 3
Kiki Bertens vs Venus Williams
H2H- 1-1
Venus Williams was finally able to break her losing streak after defeating Lauren Davis in straight sets. Williams was a little sloppy in the first set but cleaned up her game in time to pick up the win. Bertens will be a much tougher ask, but I think Venus might’ve played herself into the tournament with the opening round win. Venus should be an underdog here, but I think she picks up the win.
Prediction: Williams in 3
Main Photo from Getty
