Day 3 of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Osaka will feature half of the second round singles matches. Top seeds Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber will play their first matches, after byes in the opening round. Who do you think will prevail?
WTA Pan Pacific Open Day 3 Predictions
Angelique Kerber vs Nicole Gibbs
Head-to-head: First meeting
The German is on a five-match losing streak at this point, although she took a set in four of the encounters. Playing Gibbs might seem like a perfect opportunity to break it, but the American has advanced to the second round with three good straight-set wins and will have some arguments of her own. Gibbs has a very solid all-round game and she will not hand the win over on a silver platter. Considering Kerber’s disastrous form, we can sound the upset alert here.
Prediction: Gibbs in 3
Madison Keys vs Zarina Diyas
Head-to-head: Keys 1-0
The Kazakh did very well to get through qualifying and defeat Monica Puig with the loss of just three games. However, Keys has been on a great run since Cincinnati. Diyas shouldn’t have any weapons to harm her and in the match against Kasatkina, the American was at her blasting best.
Prediction: Keys in 2
Su-Wei Hsieh vs Elise Mertens
Head-to-head: 1-1
Su-Wei defeated Garbine Muguruza, saving a match point on her serve. Mertens benefited from Anastasija Sevastova’s late withdrawal and was too good for lucky loser Whitney Osuigwe. The Belgian hits a very clean ball but that might not help her against Hsieh’s uncanny technique. This one should be dependant on how often the Taiwanese finds her flat two-handed shots. Faster conditions should help.
Prediction: Hsieh in 3
Naomi Osaka vs Viktoriya Tomova
Head-to-head: First meeting
A good draw for the World No.4 in her first tournament since the US Open disappointment. Tomova has already played nine sets of tennis here. The Bulgarian can hit the ball very hard, yet there’s no way she will be consistent enough to contest Osaka. Playing in her hometown might put a bit of pressure on the Japanese but this should be a walk in the park.
Prediction: Osaka in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
