Day 2 of the Toray Pan Pacific Open will see the remaining first-round clashes. Interesting matchups like Daria Kasatkina vs Madison Keys or Su-Wei Hsieh vs Garbine Muguruza will take place on the Center Court in Osaka.
Pan Pacific Open Day Two Predictions
Kristina Mladenovic vs Misaki Doi
Head-to-head: 1-1
Misaki Doi comes to Osaka straight after a great week in Hiroshima, where she reached her third career WTA final, although she fell short there against her compatriot Nao Hibino. Kristina Mladenovic, meanwhile, also had one of her best weeks in a while, defeating Caroline Garcia and Elina Svitolina to reach the semifinals in Zhengzhou. You never know what to expect from the Frenchwoman, but she likes the faster Asian-swing conditions and should have enough to overpower the home favourite.
Prediction: Mladenovic in 3
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Donna Vekic vs Caroline Garcia
Head-to-head: Garcia 4-3
It will be interesting to see how Donna Vekic performs at the Pan Pacific Open coming off her career best Grand Slam showing. Garcia, in a marked contrast to the Croatian’s good form, has been in a terrible slump since the grass-court season. It’s hard to expect her to relive her fantastic memories from the Asian hard-court season two years ago. On current form, you have to believe in Vekic’s clean ball-striking, but the Frenchwoman showed some promise in Zhengzhou and won’t give up easily.
Prediction: Vekic in 3
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Madison Keys vs Daria Kasatkina
Head-to-head: Keys 4-0
A very lopsided head-to-head with Kasatkina taking just a set in four meetings on hard. Not going to against the grain here – Keys had a great run during the North American hard-court swing, although she will surely have been disappointed by the nature of her loss to Svitolina in the fourth round at the US Open. Kasatkina, meanwhile, has failed to win consecutive matches since Rome in May and she will not like her chances of improving on that after this draw.
Prediction: Keys in 2
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Garbine Muguruza vs Su-Wei Hsieh
Head-to-head: Hsieh 1-0
Talking about being out of form, Muguruza on a four-match losing streak. Her partnership with Anabel Medina Garrigues has failed to produce results so far, but to be fair to the Spaniard she had some brutal draws (Keys in Cincinnati, Riske at the US Open). And Hsieh is not a player you want to face when you’re unsure of your game. The Taiwanese may prefer slick grass courts to the hard courts of Asia, but the fast conditions in Osaka combined with her unorthodox style should help her to completely break Muguruza’s rhythm.
Prediction: Hsieh in 2
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