On Day four at the WTA Indian Wells Open, the second-round continues and the top half seeds enter the competition. We will see many interesting match-ups, and, as always, we here at LWOT will provide predictions for every match, including Ajla Tomljanovic vs Garbine Muguruza. But who will progress?
WTA Indian Wells Day 4 Predictions
Angelique Kerber vs Katerina Siniakova
Head-to-head: Kerber 5-1 Siniakova
Kerber has had a great second half of the season, winning WTA Bad Homburg before reaching semifinals at Wimbledon and Cincinnati and a fourth-round run at the US Open. Most recently the World No. 1 suffered a first-round loss at Ostrava though the slower conditions of Indian Wells should suit her far better, as evidenced by Kerber’s past results here, reaching a final in 2019. Her opponent, Katerina Siniakova, defeated Kim Clijsters in three sets in her Indian Wells opener. The 25-year-old has had a decent season, going 23-17. Siniakova’s best result this year was also at Bad Homburg, where the Czech lost to Kerber in the final. That was the last meeting between the two, though they have played out six matches of which Siniakova won just one.
Prediction: Kerber in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Tamara Zidansek vs Ana Konjuh
Head-to-head: first meeting
Zidansek had a breakthrough clay season, reaching the semifinals at Roland Garros, final at Bogota and a title in Lausanne, which has taken her to No. 33 in the rankings. The Slovene has struggled to recreate those results on hard courts, actually having a negative 9-11 record. Her opponent, Ana Konjuh, has played her first full season since 2017, starting the year outside of the Top 500 and now sitting comfortably inside the Top 100 at No. 78. The 23-year-old had good results across the surfaces, reaching the fourth round in Miami, final in Belgrade and semifinal in San Jose. Konjuh won her first round, dropping only four games to Anna Schmiedlova and should be considered a favorite over Zidansek, who has been struggling for form.
Prediction: Konjuh in 2
Embed from Getty Images
Paula Badosa vs Dayana Yastremska
Head-to-head: first meeting
Badosa has enjoyed a great season, rising from #70 at the beginning of the year to currently #27. The 23-year-old had an absolutely stellar clay season with a title in Belgrade, semifinals in Charleston and Madrid and a Roland Garros quarterfinal, though she also held her own on other surfaces with a fourth-round run at Wimbledon and quarterfinals at the Tokyo Olympics and Cincinnati.
Yastremska had a rough start to the year as she missed the first six months due to a doping ban, which she then successfully got overturned and started her season in July. Her record on hard court this season is 3-7 including her first-round win here over Elsa Jacquemot. Yastremska will be looking for a run here to gain some confidence going into next season, but it is unlikely to come against Badosa in her form this year.
Prediction: Badosa in 2
Embed from Getty Images
Caroline Garcia vs Coco Gauff
Head-to-head: first meeting
Garcia has had a decent season overall, though her post-Wimbledon hard court season has been a struggle, not advancing past the second round a single time at eight hard court tournaments. The 27-year-old ended a three-match losing streak with her three-set win over Kirsten Flipkens in the first round, but it will be an entirely different challenge in the second round against Coco Gauff.
The 17-year-old has had a good season, going 35-15 this year and breaking into the top 20 though she has suffered two second-round losses in a row to Naomi Osaka in Cincinnati and Sloane Stephens at the US Open. Gauff is likely to break her streak here though and advance past Garcia, despite the Frenchwoman’s strong record of three four-round runs at Indian Wells. Garcia has settled into a Top 50-70 position with around a 50% win/loss record, miles away from her Top 5 peak, so Gauff should not have much trouble.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
