Day two at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai will seen a number of exciting and potentially crucial matches as some of the biggest stars in the women’s game go head-to-head to try and keep their title hopes alive. But who will come out on top?
WTA Elite Trophy Day 2 Predictions
Elise Mertens vs Maria Sakkari
Head-to-head: Mertens 3-3 Sakkari
After suffering a fairly comprehensive 3-6 4-6 defeat at the hands of Aryna Sabalenka in her first match at the WTA Elite Trophy, Maria Sakkari will be desperate to avoid falling to 0-2 in the round robin. It was evident throughout her clash with Sabalenka that the Greek was badly short of match sharpness and she never managed to find her rhythm from the back of the court. Elise Mertens, meanwhile, will be playing her first match in Zhuhai, but arrives in good form after a solid Autumn.
After reaching the quarterfinals at the US Open, where she lost to eventual champion Bianca Andreescu, the Belgian played some fine tennis in Asia, reaching the semifinals in Osaka, although she will be disappointed to have lost in the second round in her last three tournaments. Nonetheless, she should be fresh ahead of this match and feeling confident. Expect her to prove too strong for the still struggling Sakkari.
Prediction: Mertens in 2
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Donna Vekic vs Dayana Yastremska
Head-to-head: Yastremska 1-0 Vekic
Donna Vekic went toe-to-toe with top seed Kiki Bertens in the first set of their match, but after the Dutchwoman won it on a tiebreak, Vekic’s challenge faded badly in the second set as she fell to a 6-7 2-6 defeat. That leaves her with no margin for error up against the young gun Dayana Yastremska, who will be playing her first match of the 2019 WTA Elite Trophy. The Ukrainian has had an excellent season, winning titles in Hua Hin and Strasbourg, as well as reaching the last 16 at Wimbledon. But Yastremska, for all her promise, has not yet shown that she can win on the biggest stages. This seems likely to be close, but expect Vekic to edge it and stay alive in Zhuhai.
Prediction: Vekic in 3
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Alison Riske vs Sofia Kenin
Head-to-head: first meeting
It’s a little surprising that these two haven’t faced off against each other before. Both Alison Riske and Sofia Kenin are having career-best seasons and will surely hope to put together a deep run at the WTA Elite Trophy. But Kenin has played a lot of tennis this season, and whilst she may have also won a lot of matches, 48 in singles alone, that may have taken a physical toll on her. That said, she has been off-court since the China Open and so should be in good shape at the start of her Zhuhai campaign.
Riske, who reached the biggest final of her career at the Wuhan Open in September, has also been out of action since losing to eventual champion Naomi Osaka in the third round in Beijing. Riske may not be able to match her younger compatriot’s quality of ball-striking or tactical nous, but she moves very well and her flat ball can be hard to contend with. But Kenin is arguably the favourite to win this event. Expect her to show why with a hard-fought win here.
Prediction: Kenin in 3
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