The top Russian seeds continue to perform in St Petersburg as we look forward to Thursday’s WTA action. None of the top home seeds have yet left the tournament. We take a look at which, if any, of Thursday’s participants will keep that trend going in our WTA St Petersburg ladies Trophy day 4 predictions.
WTA St Petersburg Ladies Trophy Day 4 Predictions
Margarita Gasparyan vs Katerina Siniakova
Head-to-head: Gasparyan 1 – 1 SIniakova
This is a great opportunity for two out of form players to make a WTA 500 quarterfinal early on in 2021. Siniakova was impressive in comfortably dismissing Kirsten Flipkens in straight sets. Equally, Gasparyan comfortably avenged her loss to Mladenovic in Lyon by beat the Frenchwoman in straight sets here.
gasparyan hits a bigger ball and that should pay dividends on the quick courts of St Petersburg. Siniakova has the variety to make life uncomfortable for the Russian, but I think the extra power just tips this one in her favour.
prediction: Gasparyan in 3
Daria Kasatkina vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
head-to-head: Kasatkina 4 – 2 Sasnovich
Kasatkina is experiencing quite the career resurgence in 2021. The talented Russian has already picked up a title this year. She won the Phillips Island Trophy in Melbourne and has carried that confidence into St Petersburg. She stopped wrecking ball Clara Tauson in straight sets in her first match. Despite struggling to close out the match, she was impressive for the most part and should be a favourite to take the title here.
Hoping to stop her is the mercurial Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Sasnovich was taken the distance by Stefanie Voegele in the first round. The former top 50 player is developing a habit of making matches harder than they need to be. That habit will cost her here against an in form Kasatkina. If Sasnovich plays at her best it could be close. However, she hasn’t done so in some time and Kasatkina is red hot at the moment. Take the Russian to move on here.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 2
Anastasia Gasanova vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Head-to-head: First meeting
Gasanova is lucky to be here after Zavatska hit herself out of their first round encounter with a litany of unforced errors. The young Russian has a lot of heart and fight, but her game isn’t quite ready for the WTA Tour yet. She is neither powerful enough to dominate from the baseline nor quick enough to be an effective counterpuncher. Her game is something of a hybrid that can catch opponents off guard.
However, Pavlyuchenkova is a veteran on the tour and is one of the more consistent performers in the women’s game. She was dominant in her first round matchup and looks a good bet for a deep run here. The quick courts of St Petersburg suit her flat, powerful game. As such, I think she will move on comfortably here against a young talent who still needs time to develop.
Prediction: Pavlyuchenkova in 2
Veronica Kudermetova vs Kamilla Rakhimova
Head-to-head: First meeting
Amazingly, Thursday will be Kudermetova’s first day on court in St Petersburg. She faces a fellow Russian in Rakhimova for a place in the quarterfinals. Rakhimova fell of a bit in th second set of her first round match. However, the 19-year old looks to be a rising star in the game. She will be a tricky test for Kudermetova if she can keep playing at this level.
The second seed has a game well suited to the fast indoor courts in this tournament. She has a big serve and hits a very flat ball off of both wings. If she can keep her error count down she is a tough opponent for anyone in the tournament. Rakhimova is a tough first test for Kudermetova, but one she should come through eventually.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
