It will be an extremely star-studded Wednesday at the 2021 WTA Viking International at Eastbourne. The top four seeds remain in contention for the title, but neither of them has a matchup that could be considered easy. Who do you think will advance? We also predict the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article.
WTA Eastbourne Day 3 Predictions
Viktorija Golubic vs Belinda Bencic
Head-to-head: Bencic 2-0
Viktorija Golubic owns a whooping 37 match wins this season, although most of them came at the ITF level. She also hasn’t kicked off her grass-court season quite as well, which cannot be said about her compatriot. Belinda Bencic is coming off a runner-up appearance at Berlin, where she was only stopped by the perfect cinderella run of Liudmila Samsonova. Along with a win over Golubic on the grass back five years ago, Bencic seems a slight favorite of this clash. One definitely shouldn’t underestimate her opponent’s thrilling one-handed backhand though.
Prediction: Bencic in 3
Bianca Andreescu vs Anett Kontaveit
Head-to-head: Kontaveit 1-0
This appears to be rather enigmatic. Bianca Andreescu’s poor health made her win over Christina McHale her first on grass in three years. Looking at her game from a theoretical standpoint, the variety she can bring could be a huge asset on this surface. Just as on hard and clay, Andreescu’s peak might be absolutely ridiculous. Even in good physical shape, she definitely won’t have an easy time against Anett Kontaveit, who won her only WTA title at Rosmalen four years ago. This is likely to end up very dramatic.
Prediction: Andreescu in 3
Elena Rybakina vs Elina Svitolina
Head-to-head: Svitolina 1-0
Elena Rybakina’s still a bit of a question mark on grass, with this being her fourth professional event on this surface. Her rival used to perform on it very poorly but later managed to find her footing and even make the Wimbledon semifinals two years ago. The Ukrainian is a lot more solid than Rybakina, but she’ll have to work hard to avoid the trap of letting her opponent completely take over the initiative.
Prediction: Svitolina in 3
Daria Kasatkina vs Iga Swiatek
Head-to-head: First meeting
Iga Swiatek wasn’t lying when she told Andy Murray her grass-court skills need some refining. The Pole’s win over Heather Watson was all but easy, including a comeback from 1-4 0-40 in the decider. Swiatek was a Wimbledon champion in juniors, but it looks like her limited practice on the surface may still hold her back. Daria Kasatkina has a lot more matches under her belt, including a Wimbledon quarterfinal and a run to the final at Birmingham last week. That might just tip it in her favor.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
