Day 2 of tennis at the Tokyo Olympics is Sunday (in Tokyo; late Friday night in the United States), and we’re here to share our thoughts on every match. Players fight for ranking points and national glory, and the Olympics almost always brings out the best in athletes. Monica Puig won this tournament in 2016, but she’s not in the draw this year. Who will win on Day 3? Our writers share their thoughts. Predicting this set of matches are Jim Smith, Fraser Learmonth, and Jack Edward. We also have predictions for the rest of the day’s matches, split between three other articles. One features Ashleigh Barty vs Sara Sorribes Tormo, the second headlines Aryna Sabalenka vs Magda Linette, and the third features Ons Jabeur vs Carla Suarez Navarro.
Tokyo Olympics Day 2 Women’s Predictions
Camila Giorgi vs Jennifer Brady
Jim:
This is a tough return to action for Jennifer Brady. The American has been out of action since losing in the third round at the French Open, whilst Camila Giorgi has been playing some good tennis of late. The American is probably the better player and certainly the most consistent of the two, but Giorgi may just catch her cold here.
Prediction: Giorgi in 3
Fraser:
This is quite a tough match to call. Brady hasn’t played since injuring herself at the French Open in May, while Giorgi comes to the Olympics in very indifferent form. If both were at their best then Brady would be the obvious pick. However, she is undoubtedly rusty and short of matches and that makes her beatable. Giorgi should win here, even if she does let a set slip while she finds her range.
Prediction: Giorgi in 3
Jack:
Jennifer Brady has been out of the game for the past couple of months with a foot injury. Her opponent, Camila Giorgi, is potentially one of the worst players to draw if she is needs to find some rhythm. It’ll be tight but I think the hard-hitting Italian will have too much power for the Australian Open runner-up.
Prediction: Giorgi in 3
Fiona Ferro vs Anastasija Sevastova
Jim:
Fiona Ferro has not exactly been in sparkling form of late. Anastasija Sevastova, in contrasts, has been playing well, reaching the quarterfinals in Eastbourne and the third round at Wimbledon. That is not a guarantee that the Latvian will get the better of Ferro, but Sevastova does look like the likelier winner.
Prediction: Sevastova in 3
Fraser:
Sevastova undoubtedly has the better track record of these two on hard courts. Nonetheless, the Latvian has been some way off the top of her game for over a year now. There have been signs this year that her game is returning, but no real consistent forward momentum to speak of. In contrast Ferro has had a brilliant twelve months on the tour but has slowed down somewhat in recent months. As such, this match is there for the taking for both players. I expect Sevastova to edge this given she is more comfortable on hard courts, but don’t be surprised if Ferro wins instead.
Prediction: Sevastova in 3
Jack:
Anastasija Sevastova has had a yo-yo season as age is starting to influence her consistency on court. Fiona Ferro’s game is a little more suited to the clay; however, and the experience Sevastova brings to the court could potentially be enough to unravel the Frenchwoman.
Prediction: Sevastova in 2
Yulia Putintseva vs Nadia Podoroska
Jim:
Yulia Putintseva and Nadia Podoroska are both capable of punching above their weight. But it is the Kazakh who has looked the sharper of late, having won the Hungarian Open last week. That hasn’t left a great deal of time for her to transition to hard courts, but the confidence she gained may well still be enough to see her into the second round.
Prediction: Putintseva in 3
Fraser:
Putintseva arrives in Tokyo on the back of a first WTA title since 2019. The diminutive Kazakh looks in superb touch after struggling in the early months of 2021. Podoroska has had less success to speak of so far this year and comes to the Olympics with no real form to speak of. There are only three ranking spots separating the two so this should be a close affair. That being said, I expect Putintseva to come out on top given her recent form.
Prediction: Putintseva in 2
Jack:
Two players more suited to the clay than hard but Putintseva is in the richer vein of form, having just won in Budapest–winning breeds winning and I’d back her over Podoroska.
Prediction: Putintseva in 2
Petra Kvitova vs Jasmine Paolini
Jim:
Petra Kvitova has been below-par since reaching the semifinals at the Bad Homburg, where she lost narrowly to Angelique Kerber. But this is still a very winnable match for the Czech. Jasmine Paolini is a good player on the clay, but she has yet to have much success in her attempts to translate her skills on to hard and grass courts.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
Fraser:
Kvitova comes into the Olympics on the back of some underwhelming performances in recent months. That makes her dangerous as a player of the Czech’s quality is rarely down for long. She will also be pleased with her first-round matchup, given that Paolini is far more of a threat on clay than on hard courts. The Italian moves well and has an effective forehand but will struggle to match Kvitova for power. The Czech is a dark horse to take the Gold here as far as I’m concerned and that starts with an easy win in her first match.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
Jack:
Jasmine Paolini isn’t ready for the best players in the world–she’s gone 4-21 against top 50 players in her career, her best win coming against Daria Kasatkina three years ago in Prague. Though Kvitova hasn’t hit her best form recently, a tidy win against Paolini would be a nice way to reboot her season.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
