Day two at the Australian Open should see plenty of entertaining tennis, with a number of star names set to feature. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Garbine Muguruza vs Margarita Gasparyan, Sofia Kenin vs Maddison Inglis, Ash Barty vs Danka Kovinic, Karolina Muchova vs Jelena Ostapenko, Karolina Pliskova vs Jasmine Paolini, Belinda Bencic vs Lauren Davis and Kristina Mladenovic vs Maria Sakkari. Giving their picks for this slate of matches are Jim Smith, Yesh Ginsburg and Damian Kust.
Australian Open Day Two Predictions
Ann Li vs Zhang Shuai
Jim: Ann Li has made an excellent start to the season and whilst missing out on the chance to play in her first tour-level final will surely have been a disappointment, a first-round win at the Australian Open would presumably go someway to making up for it. Expect her to get it.
Prediction: Li in 3
Yesh: Li is getting more and more impressive every time we see her come out. She has a limit, but I don’t think we’ve hit it yet. Expect a potential surprise here.
Prediction: Li in 3
Damian: The decision to rob Ann Li of the chance to play her maiden WTA final is controversial at best, but her match was at least moved to Tuesday and not playing the final might help her rest up for the Australian Open. Zhang Shuai hasn’t played since October and might be in for a very tough time against a red-hot opponent.
Prediction: Li in 3
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Kristyna Pliskova vs Heather Watson
Jim: Watson won at this event in the first round last season, but by all accounts the courts have sped up somewhat since then. That should help the big-serving Pliskova more than it does the counter-punching Watson.
Prediction: Pliskova in 3
Yesh: Pliskova is slowly but surely following her twin sister up the rankings. Watson, meanwhile, has huge potential that she’s never realized. She can bring her best at the Majors, but it’s becoming hard to expect it.
Prediction: Pliskova in 3
Damian: It’s a rematch from last year’s first round here. Over the years, this matchup has been pretty much down to the form on the day. Neither managed to get through a round at the warm-up events last week, but Watson took the victory last year and she seems to have a bit more versatility and court craft in her skillset.
Prediction: Watson in 3
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Victoria Azarenka vs Jessica Pegula
Jim: Assuming, as seems likely, that Victoria Azarenka’s withdrawal from the Grampians Trophy was more precautionary than because of a serious injury, it is hard to see Jessica Pegula extending her stay at the Australian Open beyond one round.
Prediction: Azarenka in 2
Yesh: This is an unfortunate first-round match. Azarenka looks in great form and is ready to regain her spot at the top of the game. Pegula, meanwhile, is a constant fighter who can counterpunch and hit through just about anyone. She can’t do that to Azarenka, though.
Prediction: Azarenka in 2
Damian: We’re still yet to find out if Azarenka can recapture some of the magic that saw her reach the finals at the US Open last year and have a major resurgence. But if her withdrawal from the quarterfinals this week was more of a precaution than an actual injury scare, she should prevail here.
Prediction: Azarenka in 2
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Destanee Aiava vs Samantha Stosur
Jim: Destanee Aiava may have offered relatively little resistance to Laura Siegemund in the second round at the Gippsland Trophy, but she made a better start to her season than Samantha Stosur. The veteran Australian won just two games against Marie Bouzkova and looked a shadow of her former self.
Prediction: Aiava in 3
Yesh: Stosur is on her way out in her career, while Aiava is on her way up. Expect a competitive, if not high quality, match here with neither woman particularly impressive last week, and I’ll go with experience to pull through.
Prediction: Stosur in 3
Damian: There are sixteen years between the two Australians, both of whom stayed down under after the pandemic last year. Aiava at least competed a lot in the UTR exhibitions, while Stosur only played twice and was far from impressive. The 36-year-old also won just two games against Marie Bouzkova last week. Looks like the lack of match practice did not do her well at all.
Prediction: Aiava in 2
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