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WTA Cincinnati Masters Day 2 Predictions Including Sloane Stephens vs Caroline Garcia

Jil Teichmann in action ahead of the WTA Cincinnati Masters

With 16 matches on the slate at the WTA Cincinnati Masters, there should be plenty of entertaining action at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which is hosting the tournament this year. We here at LWOT are offering our predictions for all 16 matches, including Sofia Kenin’s match up with Alize Cornet, Yulia Putintseva vs Zhang Shuai and former US Open champion Leylah Fernandez’s battle with Ons Jabeur. But who will book their place in the second round?

WTA Cincinnati Masters Day 2 Predictions

Anett Kontaveit vs Daria Kasatkina

Head-to-head: Kontaveit 1-0 Kasatkina

Anett Kontaveit arrives at the WTA Cincinnati Masters in good form after a run to the final at the Palermo Ladies Open, although her performance in a 2-6 5-7 defeat there to Fiona Ferro was somewhat disappointing. Daria Kasatkina, meanwhile, gained her berth in the main draw as a lucky loser after a defeat in the final round of qualifying at the hands of Christina McHale. That inspires little confidence in her ability to beat the 12th seeded Estonian.

Prediction: Kontaveit in 2
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Sloane Stephens vs Caroline Garcia

Head-to-head: Garcia 2-1 Stephens

It has been a miserable season for Sloane Stephens, who has won just one of her seven matches so far in 2020 and was dismissed in straight sets on her last outing in Lexington by the teenager Leylah-Annie Fernandez. In short, she is a player badly in need of a win. But the 27-year-old did enjoy the best moment of her career in Flushing Meadows when she won the US Open three years ago. She will surely be hoping to recapture that spirit this week at the WTA Cincinnati Masters.

Caroline Garcia will be playing her first competitive match since the Lyon Open in February which could perhaps make her the perfect opponent for Stephens. In truth, both women are better than their ranking suggests, but neither has been able to find anything like their best tennis for some time. As a result, whilst this match may well be a tense and closely fought contest, it may not be the highest quality affair. But Stephens knows how to battle and might just be able to dig out a precious win.

Prediction: Stephens in 3
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Christina McHale vs Iga Swiatek

Head-to-head: first meeting

Christina McHale played some excellent tennis to come through the qualifying, battling past her compatriot Usue Maitane Arconada in the first round in three sets before beating Kasatkina 6-3 7-5. But she looks set for a stern test when she faces Poland’s Iga Swiatek for a place in the second round at the WTA Cincinnati Masters. Though Swiatek has played relatively little tennis so far this season, with this set to be just her third appearance of the year, when she has played she has impressed.

She opened her season by reaching the fourth round at the Australian Open, where she narrowly lost to Estonia’s Kontaveit, and she backed that up by upsetting Donna Vekic at the Qatar Open. Swiatek reached the second round at the US Open last season, illustrating a certain affinity for the conditions in Flushing Meadows, but she will be at a disadvantage in that respect against McHale, who has played in the main draw at the US Open on ten occasions. Fortunately for the Pole, her talent should make up for it.

Prediction: Swiatek in 3
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Danielle Collins vs Jil Teichmann

Head-to-head: first meeting

This is perhaps one of the most intriguing matches of day two at the WTA Cincinnati Masters. Jil Teichmann arrives in New York after reaching the final at the Top Seed Open and will surely be desperate to maintain that good run of form over the coming weeks. Danielle Collins, meanwhile, seems to have rather lost her way since her memorable run to the Australian Open semifinals in 2019. But back on home turf, she will surely be seeking to make an impact.

However, this does not seem like a favourable match-up for the American. Although the majority of Teichmann’s successes have come on clay, the Swiss has a game that is well-suited to the gritty, high-bouncing hard courts found in North America. The counter-punching Collins, who excels when taking the ball early, seems to prefer slicker surfaces than those at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre and has never been past the second round in New York. Expect Teichmann to edge this one.

Prediction: Teichmann in 3

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