The round of 16 gets underway in Istanbul on Wednesday with Cirstea vs Potapova and Mladenovic vs Siniakova among the key matches. Here is your preview and predictions for all the matches.
Zarina Diyas vs Kaia Kanepi
Diyas and Kanepi have split the h2h 2-2, Diyas is 6-6 to start the year, Kanepi is 8-5, Kanepi’s strong record on clay should be the difference here. The Estonian player is finding form and could win it all this week. Kanepi in 2
Daria Kasatkina vs Marta Kostyuk
Kostyuk is 7-5 to start the year (including a semifinal) and has already hit a career high ranking, the issue for her in this matchup is Kasatkina is playing even better, 17-5 with two WTA titles. Both players won routinely in round 1. Kasatkina is one of the best WTA players right now and has played amazing tennis in 2021, she should extend her winning ways. Kasatkina in 2
Ana Konjuh vs Qiang Wang
Konjuh is just 4-3 to start the year while Wang is 4-9, both players badly need something to break their way this season. Konjuh looked more comfortable in round 1, winning in straights, and should continue winning here. Konjuh in 2
Sorana Cirstea vs Anastasia Potapova
Potapova won their only meeting, and is 7-8 in 2021, in previous seasons she’s been credible on clay. Cirstea moved above .500 on the season with a routine round 1 win, Potapova’s upset win in round 1 over Pavlyuchenkova was impressive but I still give Cirstea a slim edge here. Cirstea in 3
Kristina Mladenovic vs Katerina Siniakova
The battles between these players are numerous, Siniakova won the only match on clay, and the h2h is tied 4-4 overall. Mladenovic won her first round match in straights, Siniakova is good on clay but has been even worse in 2021 than Mladenovic. This match may not be pretty, but Mladenovic should scrape through. Mladenovic in 3
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