It’s the Day 2 of the Australian Open! Assuming the weather cooperates, we’ll wrap up the first round on Tuesday in Melbourne. Who will win? In addition to our pre-tournament predictions, we’re trying to analyze as many individual matches as we can for you. Each set of predictions contains four matches. In addition to this set, we also have predictions featuring Donna Vekic vs Maria Sharapova, Kiki Bertens vs Irinia Camelia Begu, Amanda Anisimova vs Zarina Diyas, Jennifer Brady vs Simona Halep, and Marketa Vondrousova vs Svetlana Kuznetsova. Predicting this set of matches are Tracey Essex, Steen Kirby, and Jim Smith.
Australian Open Day 2 Women’s Predictions
Aryna Sabalenka vs Carla Suarez Navarro
Tracey:
Sabalenka is on a tear, hitting Simona Halep off the court in Adelaide. I think the eleventh seed will give Carla Suarez Navarro more than she can handle.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Jim:
Suarez Navarro remains one of the best players to watch on the WTA Tour thanks to her elegant groundstrokes. But the Spaniard is not the force she once was, whilst Sabalenka arrives at Melbourne Park in good form after her run to the semifinals in Adelaide. The Belarusian has disappointed in the past at the Majors, but she looks in good shape to at least reach the second round here, having beaten Suarez Navarro in all three of their previous meetings.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Steen:
Sabalenka has never lost to Suarez-Navarro and the veteran Spaniard is in a slump. This match appears to be a mere formality.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Katie Boulter vs Elina Svitolina
Tracey:
I’m looking forward to a third round clash between Elina Svitolina and Garbine Muguruza!
Prediction: Svitolina in 2
Jim:
For all that there is a significant gap between this pair in the rankings, this should be a competitive match, if only because neither is playing particularly well. Boulter was well-beaten by Bernarda Pera in the first round of qualifying in Adelaide, whilst Svitolina started her season with a 1-6 1-6 loss to Danielle Collins in Brisbane. But expect a more focused performance from the Ukrainian in Melbourne.
Prediction: Svitolina in 2
Steen:
Svitolina is a top tier contender and Boulter is a challenger-level player with nothing to lose. This could get tricky, but a routine match is more likely.
Prediction: Svitolina in 2
Jelena Ostapenko vs Ludmilla Samsonova
Tracey:
Which version of Ostapenko shows up? Obviously, it will be the go-for-broke hard hitting Latvian. But, will she be dialed in and hitting her marks? She’s sitting in a tough spot in the draw. If she makes it past Samsonova, Belinda Bencic should be next. I think she’ll get through Samsonova and get bounced in the second round.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
Jim:
Ostapenko ended what had been a very disappointing 2019 in good fashion with a run to the title at the Luxembourg Open. And whilst she withdrew ahead of her opening match of the season in Auckland, that seems to have been a precautionary measure. She will nonetheless have to contend with some rust up against an opponent in Samsonova who will be match tough after winning through the qualifying. But Ostapenko is the better player and that quality should tell.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 3
Steen:
The qualifier Samsnova is rising but Ostapenko nearly ended last season undefeated in her last two outings and won’t falter here.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
Kristina Mladenovic vs Karolina Pliskova
Tracey:
Mladenovic will never realize the success she’s achieved in doubles. Karolina Pliskova will send her packing.
Prediction: Pliskova in 2
Jim:
This could prove to be a tricky first-round test for the in-form Pliskova, who has split her previous four meetings with Mladenovic. That said, their last match came in 2017, when Mladenovic was enjoying an excellent year in singles. The Frenchwoman’s prowess has rather declined since. If Pliskova maintains the level she displayed in Brisbane, there will only be one victor.
Prediction: Pliskova in 2
Steen:
The Brisbane Champion Pliskova is favored in what looks to be a somewhat challenging first round match. They have split the head-to-head matchups and Mladenovic has talent.
Prediction: Pliskova in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
