Day 4 of the WTA Montreal Masters promises some thrilling match-ups. Many star players including the top seed Aryna Sabalenka are in action, and we here at Last Word On Tennis will be offering up our predictions on who will be marching on in Canada.
WTA Montreal Day 3 Predictions
Aryna Sabalenka vs Rebecca Marino
Head-to-head: First meeting
Sabalenka may not have had much success in Tokyo, but she’s the #1 seed this week and this is definitely a tournament she can win. She came through an intense battle with Sloane Stephens in the first round and is playing some brilliant tennis. Though she is much younger than her next opponent, she has an enormous ranking advantage over her.
Wildcard Marino shocked plenty of fans with her straight set upset over 16th seed Madison Keys in the first round. She backed this up by coming through her following match with Badosa where she came from a set down. The Canadian is clearly enjoying herself in her home nation right now, but it’s hard to see her getting past Sabalenka. The Wimbledon semifinalist should be too strong, but expect a great match.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Sara Sorribes Tormo vs Katerina Siniakova
Head-to-head: Tormo 1 – 1 Siniakova
Sorribes Tormo is yet to drop a set this week, and after taking down Ash Barty in the first round of the Tokyo Olympics, she’s looking in impressive form. She now faces Siniakova, whom she has beaten once and lost to once.
Siniakova is also in great form this week. After annihilating Jelena Ostapenko in the first round, she defeated Garbine Muguruza in a topsy-turvy three set match. It’s clear that both players are in really impressive form and this match could easily go either way. However, Siniakova has had the slightly more successful career and won their most recent meeting, so she just takes the edge here.
Prediction: Siniakova in 3
Petra Kvitova vs Camila Giorgi
Head-to-head: Kvitova 1 – 1 Giorgi
This should be an interesting encounter. In previous years Kvitova would have been the major favorite here, but she’s not in great form right now so it’s tough to pick her outright. Despite high hopes, she exited the Tokyo Olympics in the second round and bowed out in the first round of Wimbledon.
Giorgi made a great quarterfinal run in Tokyo and has already beaten two good opponents this week. The Italian also beat Kvitova in their last meeting, although this was three years ago. Kvitova is the more experienced player and her tenacity often serves her greatly, but her form indicates that this will be a tricky match. Expect a tight affair that could go either way depending on Kvitova’s form, but Giorgi may have the edge here.
Prediction: Giorgi in 3
Maria Sakkari vs Victoria Azarenka
Head-to-head: Azarenka 1-0 Sakkari
This is another fascinating match-up. Azarenka is hugely experienced on the WTA Tour and has performed to a fantastic level consistently for some time. Her opponent Sakkari is much less experienced, but has hit great form this year after turning heads at the French Open. Azarenka won their only previous meeting which came last year, and it was comfortable win at that.
While Sakkari is clearly dangerous, she hasn’t managed to keep up her form since the clay season. Azarenka hasn’t played since Wimbledon and is having an okay year, but she is certainly capable of far more. The hard courts have often complimented her playstyle and this is a match she’ll be expecting to win. A tight affair may be on the cards, but Azarenka should be the victor.
Prediction: Azarenka in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
