Second-round women’s singles action at the WTA Indian Wells Open continues on Saturday with sixteen matches, four of which will be previewed in this article. As always, we here at LWOT will provide predictions for every match, including Caroline Garcia vs Coco Gauff. But who will advance to the round of 16?
WTA Indian Wells Day 4 Predictions
Barbora Krejcikova vs Zarina Diyas
Head-to-head: Krejcikova 1-0 Diyas
Krejcikova burst onto the scene this year as the Roland Garros champion but she has since shown that it was not a one-off and has continued to get great results such as her Prague title and quarterfinals at the US Open and Cincinnati. The Czech has had one of the most impressive breakthrough seasons in memory, beginning the year at #65 and now sitting inside the fop five. The third seed is among the favorites for the title here in Indian Wells and the first opponent standing in her way is Zarina Diyas. The Kazakh’s season has been middling but she is doing well here, defeating Kurumi Nara and Olga Govortsova in qualifying and Nao Hibino in the first round. This has been the first time Diyas has won three matches in a row all season. Despite that, Krejcikova’s qualities should not be severely hindered by Diyas, even if she is in-form.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 2
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Mayar Sherif vs Beatriz Haddad Maia
Head-to-head: first meeting
Sherif continues her breakthrough season with a dominant win in the first round over Danka Kovinic, dropping only four games. The 25-year-old was originally supposed to face Nadia Podoroska but the Argentine withdrew today due to currently unspecified reasons and will be replaced by a lucky loser, Beatriz Haddad Maia. The Brazilian was handed a 10-month doping ban in 2020 which significantly lowered her ranking. She entered 2021 outside of the Top 350 but now, 64 wins and five ITF titles later, Haddad Maia is at No. 115. Despite the impressive season, Haddad Maia failed to qualify for Indian Wells, losing to Usue Maitane Arconada. It will be an adjustment for Sherif, facing a different opponent than she expected, but she should be the favorite here despite Haddad Maia’s recent record.
Prediction: Sherif in 3
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Astra Sharma vs Daria Kasatkina
Head-to-head: first meeting
The former No. 10, Daria Kasatkina, has enjoyed a renaissance this season, beginning the year at No. 72. In 2021, the Russian won the Philipp Island Trophy in Melbourne and the WTA 500 in St. Petersburg as well as reaching finals in Birmingham and San Jose. Kasatkina might be an interesting pick for a dark horse here as she is having a strong season and reached the final here in 2018, clearly enjoying the Indian Wells conditions. Her first opponent is qualifier and 2019 Australian Open mixed doubles finalist, Astra Sharma. Sharma is looking to re-enter the Top 100 and might be successful as after an easy qualifying draw, the Australian upset Donna Vekic in the opening round. Sharma does have the matches coming in as opposed to Kasatkina who has not played since the US Open, but the Russian should pull through here.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 2
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Ajla Tomljanovic vs Garbine Muguruza
Head-to-head: Tomljanovic 1-3 Muguruza
The fifth seed Garbine Muguruza is coming into Indian Wells in great form as she had just won the WTA 500 in Chicago. Though there usually might be worries about fatigue, this is not the case here as the Spaniard only had to play three matches to win the title, having a bye in the first round and two walkovers en route to the title. Muguruza had a strong start to the season, winning Dubai and reaching finals in Doha and at the Yarra Valley Classic. The clay and grass seasons were disappointing for the world #6, considering that she won her two slams on natural surfaces, but her hard-court record is 30-9.
Considering that fact in addition to her two previous quarterfinals here, we should expect to see Muguruza in the latter stages of this tournament. Standing in her way is Ajla Tomljanovic, who managed to re-enter the Top 50 this season, though her results have been average outside of the Wimbledon run to the quarterfinals. The two have faced each other four times with Tomljanovic winning the first meeting in Miami back in 2014 and Muguruza winning the rest, most recently dropping only three games to Tomljanovic in Doha 2020. It will probably not be the beatdown of those proportions, but expect Muguruza to advance here.
Prediction: Muguruza in 2
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