The second day of action in St Petersburg should feature high quality tennis across all 11 matches taking place. Tuesday sees several top seeds and favourites in action such as Maria Sakkari and Jelena Ostapenko. However, with such a deep field in Russia for this event nothing is guaranteed. As always, we take a look at who we think should see day three in our WTA St Petersburg Ladies Trophy day 2 predictions.
WTA St Petersburg Ladies Trophy Day 2 Predictions
Andrea Petkovic vs Rebecca Peterson
Head-to-head: First meeting
Rebecca has already won three matches in St Petersburg and will be full of confidence as a result. Her win against Bernarda Pera to reach the main draw was particularly impressive. If she can maintain that level she may well go deep here. However, she must first get past Andrea Petkovic. The German has played only four matches this year and has won two and lost two. That lack of match fitness will likely be her undoing here against a similarly capable opponent with more form and matches already under her belt on these courts. Expect Peterson to advance.
Prediction: Peterson in 2
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Tereza Martincova vs Vera Zvonareva
Head-to-head: First meeting
This likely won’t be much of a contest. Tereza Martincova has more power off of both wings and is in better form. The Czech has been a standout in the women’s game in recent months and will be confident of her chances here. By contrast, Zvonareva continues to struggle in her attempts to revive a once spectacular career. The Russian has a great serve but not much else besides and will only keep this close by serving well. If Martincova can keep her cool and play with good margins then she should win this comfortably.
Prediction: Martincova in 2
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Marketa Vondrousova vs Sorana Cirstea
Head-to-head: 1 – 0 Vondrousova
This could be an interesting battle of favourite weapons if all goes to plan. Marketa Vondrousova has a mean forehand but is also left-handed. That means she will be hitting the majority of her forehands into the Sorana Cirstea backhand which is the Romanian’s favourite weapon. As a result, I expect vondrousova to move away from dragged out rallies and rely on her immense variety to put Cirstea off. That tactic should bear fruit here and I expect the Czech to draw enough errors from Cirstea’s racket to move on.
Prediction: Vondrousova in 2
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Petra Kvitova vs Jule Niemeier
Head-to-head: First meeting
Everything points to a tight match here. Kvitova is out of form and Jule Niemeier is a rising star in the women’s game and has already won three matches here. However, it’s been a while since we saw Kvitova at her peak and blasting both ball and opponent off the court with aplomb. Eventually she will find that form and I think it may well be here. If I’m wrong then this will likely be a three set match that could go either way. If I’m right, Kvitova wins in two and probably doesn’t drop more than six games. My heart says the later but the smart call is the former.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
