With 13 second-round matches on the slate on day four at the WTA Charleston Open, there should be plenty of entertaining action for the fans in South Carolina. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Shelby Rogers vs Amanda Anisimova and Ashleigh Barty vs Misaki Doi. But who will secure their spot in the third round?
WTA Charleston Open Day Four Predictions
Catherine McNally vs Anastasija Sevastova
Head-to-head: first meeting
Catherine McNally appeared to have rather lost her way last season, but the 19-year-old has looked more assured so far in 2021, putting together a solid enough start to the year for a teenager. In the first round at the WTA Charleston Open, she faced what looked to be a tough test on paper up against Elena Rybakina, but the Kazakh retired after losing the first set to send McNally into the second round. Waiting for her there is Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova.
Sevastova, a US Open semifinalist in 2018, also struggled in 2020 and finds herself ranked 47th in the world as result, 36 places down from her career-high of world #11. But after impressing at the WTA Miami Open, where she reached the quarterfinals, she continued her fine form in her opener in Charleston, dismissing young gun Anastasia Potapova in straight sets. If she can maintain that level against McNally, she should be able to secure her place in the third round.
Prediction: Sevastova in 2
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Lauren Davis vs Sofia Kenin
Head-to-head: Davis 1-1 Kenin
It has been a difficult start to 2021 for Sofia Kenin. She saw her defence of her Australian Open crown derailed by appendicitis and she struggled on her return to action in Miami, where she lost in the third round to Ons Jabeur. But this looks like a winnable match for the 22-year-old. Lauren Davis made a good start to her campaign at the WTA Charleston Open, beating Madison Brengle in the first round in straight sets, and the Buckeye is invariably a determined competitor. But she lacks a dependable weapon and Kenin should be able to outmanoeuvre her compatriot.
Prediction: Kenin in 3
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Marie Bouzkova vs Ajla Tomljanovic
Head-to-head: Bouzkova 1-1 Tomljanovic
Marie Bouzkova arrived at the WTA Charleston Open after a disappointing first-round loss in Miami at the hands of Arantxa Rus. But it has been a broadly encouraging start to the season for the Czech, who reached the final at the WTA Phillip Island Trophy (lost to Daria Kasatkina) and the last four in Guadalajara. She continued that solid start with a comfortable 6-2 7-5 win over Timea Babos to start her week in South Carolina.
Waiting for her in the second round is Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic. Tomljanovic endured a miserable end to 2020, losing every match she played after the season resumed in July, but she has managed to right the ship, at least to a degree, so far this season and played well in beating Christina McHale 6-3 6-0 in the first round in Charleston. This should be a close contest, but Bouzkova has been by a distance the more consistent performer and beat Tomljanovic in their only previous clay-court meeting.
Prediction: Bouzkova in 3
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Sloane Stephens vs Madison Keys
Head-to-head: Stephens 3-1 Keys
In a rematch of their 2017 US Open final clash, Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens are set to battle for a place in the third round in Charleston. It is a match that both players will surely be desperate to win, with neither playing anything like their best tennis. After missing the start of the season, Keys returned to the WTA Tour in Qatar, where she thrashed Belinda Bencic 6-4 6-1 in her opener. But she has struggled badly since, with her only other win coming over the 20-year-old Liang En-shuo.
Stephens, meanwhile, lost her first four matches this season, before finally getting off the mark against Oceane Dodin in the first round in Miami. She backed that up by beating Wang Xiyu in her opener in Charleston, but this looks like it may be a difficult day at the office for the 28-year-old. She has won three of her four meetings with Keys, but lost their most recent match, which was contested in Charleston in 2019. She also has a tendency to play too passively when short of confidence, which could allow Keys to dictate.
Prediction: Keys in 3
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