We start the second round of the Australian Open on Day 3. Here at LWOT, we will share our thoughts on every match for you. The 16 matches on Wednesday are split between four articles. In addition to this article, the other three feature Belinda Bencic vs Amanda Anisimova, Paula Badosa vs Martina Trevisan, and Naomi Osaka vs Madison Brengle. Predicting this set are Jim Smith, Andy Watson, and Johnny Connell.
Australian Open Day 3 Predictions
Jessica Pegula vs Bernarda Pera
Jim:
Jessica Pegula looks like she might be hard-pressed to repeat her heroics from last year in Melbourne, but she showed impressive grit to get past Anhelina Kalinina in the first round. She faces another test here, but she is the better player of the two. Expect her to have just about enough to see off her compatriot.
Prediction: Pegula in 3
Andy:
The seeded player will have been pleased to get a win under her belt as she hasn’t started the season as well as she would’ve liked. An all-American clash here where Pegula should be too powerful for Pera.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
Johnny:
Pegula just scrapped through the opening round, her first win of the season. Perhaps it was the type of win to reignite some better form from Pegula, particularly at the venue where she reached her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal 12 months ago. Pera has a mediocre record at Majors, rarely progressing past the first round. Pegula is the better player and is more likely to step up her game in this clash.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
Elina Svitolina vs Harmony Tan
Jim:
Elina Svitolina saw off a similar sort of player to Harmony Tan in the first round in the shape of Fiona Ferro and she did it pretty comfortably. Tan will be full of confidence after a great first-round win, but the gulf in talent here looks too big for her to bridge.
Prediction: Svitolina in 2
Andy:
Harmony Tan’s 55% service hold record on hard courts won’t stand up very well in this game. Svitolina is a good returner at any time, and it is likely that she will be just about good enough on serve to win the match.
Prediction: Svitolina in 2
Johnny:
Svitolina was unconvincing in her opening round win over Fiona Ferro, whilst Tan was impressive as she upset Yulia Putintseva. Svitolina is not playing great tennis at the moment; she is not the player she once was. Nevertheless, she should still be solid enough to navigate her way past an inexperienced opponent. It will probably be closer than expected.
Prediction: Svitolina in 3
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Alison Van Uytvanck vs Qiang Wang
Jim:
Wang Qiang can be a bit hit and miss, but she was on song in the first round to thrash an out of sorts of Coco Gauff 6-4 6-2. Alison Van Uytvanck is rarely an easy opponent thanks to her willingness to take big cuts at the ball, but Wang – a former Grand Slam quarterfinalist – should have enough in her locker to get past the Belgian.
Prediction: Wang in 3
Andy:
The Belgian is in some decent form at the moment and will make this a tough match for Wang. The Chinese is one of the future stars of the WTA in my opinion and showed why against Gauff. It always feels hard backing up a big win like that though and I might give the edge to van Uytvanck.
Prediction: Van Uytvanck in 3
Johnny:
Wang produced one of the biggest upsets of the first round when she smashed Coco Gauff in straight sets. Wang is a much better player than her 2021 results and ranking of #110 suggests, that was clear in her strong performance against Gauff. Van Uytvanck is beatable, Wang has the game to win in this matchup. If Wang maintains her level from the previous round, she should be too solid here.
Prediction: Wang in 3
Ashleigh Barty vs Lucia Bronzetti
Jim:
If Ash Barty plays anything like her best tennis, she will win this match. Lucia Bronzetti should be able to offer more resistance than Lesia Tsurenko did in the first round, but this should still be a comfortable day for the top seed.
Prediction: Barty in 2
Andy:
Well. Barty was pretty emphatic in her opening round and the Italian is not really of a higher standard than Tsurenko so there’s not much reason to expect a different outcome.
Prediction: Barty in 2
Johnny:
Not much to say here. Barty dominated Tsurenko in the opening round and is highly likely to be equally dominant over Bronzetti. There’s nothing that Bronzetti does that will bother Barty in these conditions.
Prediction: Barty in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
