Day 4 of the US Open will see the second half of the second round. 16 women’s matches will determine Saturday’s third-round participants. Who do you think will move on? As always, our writers share their thoughts on all of the matches. In addition to this article, we split the other matches between three other articles. One features Karolina Pliskova vs Amanda Anisimova, the second highlights Ashleigh Barty vs Clara Tauson, and the third features Petra Kvitova vs Kristyna Pliskova. Predicting these matches are Fraser Learmonth, Damian Kust, and Andrew Watson.
US Open Day 4 Women’s Predictions
Emma Raducanu vs Shuai Zhang
Fraser:
Raducanu looked in fine form in her first main draw match at the US Open on Tuesday. The young Brit is looking to affirm her status as a rising star in the women’s game with another good Grand Slam run here. Zhang is a tough opponent for her, but momentum of the kind Raducanu has is hard to stop. The young Brit believes she belongs here and that belief should carry her through at least one more match in New York.
Prediction: Raducanu in 3
Damian:
It’s great for Raducanu that she’s getting to play on the big stage again after what happened at Wimbledon. She looks like the real deal and this is a very winnable draw.
Prediction: Raducanu in 2
Andrew:
The cult of Raducanu is growing. The US crowd seemed somewhat enchanted by the young Brit in the opening round and I would expect to see a full crowd around her court again here. However, these two played exactly a month ago and Zhang won comfortably in two sets. Since then Raducanu has lost only one completed match and won ten. It seems the Brit has acclimatised to the US hard courts and I think her crisp groundstrokes will see her turn the tide on Zhang.
Prediction: Raducanu in 2
Jessica Pegula vs Misaki Doi
Fraser:
This should be a straightforward win for Pegula. Doi is a good player but is a level below the American in almost every area. Pegula has been a standout on the tour in recent months and will be determined to do well in her home Grand Slam. This should be a fairly one-sided affair if she can produce her best tennis on the day.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
Damian:
Another player who could be in for a deep run here is Pegula, who’s having by far the best season of her career. Doi shouldn’t pose that much of a threat.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
Andrew:
The American is really beginning to assert herself as the coming player in the US. She has a good chance of going deep here and I think she’ll win here against Doi.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
Ajla Tomljanovic vs Petra Martic
Fraser:
Tomljanovic has to be the favorite here. The Aussie is having the best season of her career as far as Grand Slams go and will be full of confidence coming into this match. By contrast, Martic has had a poor year by her standards and has little to point to this year in terms of success. This could go the distance, but I expect Tomljanovic’s form and confidence to carry her over the line.
Prediction: Tomljanovic in 3
Damian:
Martic leads the head-to-head 2-0, but the last meeting came over ten years ago. Tomljanovic had the brilliant Wimbledon run, but neither has been particularly impressive since then. Martic is the more reliable pick, but the Australian might have a higher ceiling.
Prediction: Martic in 3
Andrew:
Both players had fairly tricky openers but won comfortably. Both players have trouble breaking their opponents in general and this could affect Tomljanovic more than Martic in this match-up because Martic has the more effective serve, according to the data. Martic does lead the H2H 2-0 but those matches were from a decade ago. However, I prefer Martic to make that 3-0 here.
Prediction: Martic in 3
Bianca Andreescu vs Lauren Davis
Fraser:
Andreescu came through a tough first match against Golubic to get her title defense underway (she didn’t play this tournament in 2020 so technically never lost it). The Canadian is now 8-0 in main draw matches at the US Open and showed enough in that first match to think she can carry that streak to nine here. Davis is no slouch, but she doesn’t have the weapons needed to put Andreescu under pressure.
Prediction: Andreescu in 2
Damian:
Andreescu pulled off a nail-biting win over Golubic from a break down in the decider. It’s all about fitness when it comes to the Canadian, but her winning thrillers like that is a great sign, something she was famous for two years ago.
Prediction: Andreescu in 2
Andrew:
It was a less than convincing display against Golubic but there were shades of the Bianca Andreescu that won this title in 2019 in that she won in a battling three sets. We could see similar here as Davis also loves a scrap. I’m going to actually back Davis here because I’m yet to be convinced that Andreescu can back up matches and whether she still can raise her level constantly.
Prediction: Davis in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
