With such a great WTA field in Sydney this year, there’s no wonder that we haven’t even reached the quarterfinal stage yet still have blockbuster matches on our hands with everyone trying to get themselves right into form for next week’s Australian Open. We also predict the rest of Wednesday’s matches in a separate article.
WTA Sydney Day 3 Predictions
Belinda Bencic vs Oceane Dodin
Head-to-head: 0-0
Things were going so right for Bencic around the end of summer last year with an Olympic Gold immediately followed up with quarter-finals in both Cincinnatti and the US Open. Since then, the form has dropped off a cliff to a worrying amount where back-to-back wins have become a struggle. With a solid opening match under her belt with a routine win against Haddad Maia there’s perhaps something to work with already and thankfully for the Swiss her opponent lacks any real weapons to hurt her. The Olympic Gold medalist just needs to play herself into form and with matches like that she can do exactly that.
Prediction: Bencic in 2
Daria Kasatkina vs Elise Mertens
Head-to-head: Kasatikina 2-1
Whenever I watch Kasatkina play it makes me want to pull my hair out, and I mean that as a compliment. Now 24 years old and ranked #26 in the world I still believe there’s so much skill we she possesses we haven’t seen yet that just needs to be put together. Unfortunately for her we aren’t even at the stage of having the last eight left here in Sydney and she’s already having to play a top 20 player in Elise Mertens where you more or less know what you’re going to get on her end of the court. Last August the pair met in San Jose also on a hardcourt and the Russian won routinely. What’s worrying though is that Kasatkina may have had a very easy win against former Australian Open champion in the first round but the manner of her loss last week to Anisimova only raises more questions about how she’s still so hot and cold.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
Caroline Garcia vs Elena Rybakina
Head-to-head: Rybakina 2-0
I don’t know where it all went wrong for Garcia, from being so good as a teenager to winning several titles and breaking the top 10 a few years ago, it’s all fallen apart. On the other hand, her opponent has only gone from strength to strength and has already shown that in the tennis world she is a force to be reckoned with, no less than just dropping one game to reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the first round. The 22 year old has too much game and power for almost everyone in the game right now and Garcia isn’t one of the very few who can break her down when she’s on.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Paula Badosa vs Ajla Tomljanovic
Head-to-head: 0-0
A first meeting between the pair and what a match this could be. Badosa, now in the top ten, continues to impress everyone in more ways than one whilst Tomljanovic has been stuck at somewhat the same stage of her career for quite a while now. In normal circumstances you probably couldn’t see how the Spaniard loses this, she’s better in almost every way, but with the Australian crowd behind their girl there’s been times in the past where the home favourite has played out of her skin. Maybe this will be one of those matches?
Prediction: Badosa in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
