With the remaining first-round matches set to be completed on day two at the WTA Guadalajara Open, there should be plenty of entertaining tennis for the fans in Mexico. Not least as the reigning US Open champion is set to take the court. But who will book their place in the round of 16? We also have predictions for matches featuring Sara Sorribes Tormo.
WTA Guadalajara Day 2 Predictions
Magdalena Frech vs Renata Zarazua
Head-to-head: Frech 2-0 Zarazua
Renata Zarazua’s recent form is atrocious. The 24-year-old arrives in Guadalajara fresh from a pair of embarrassing first-round exits at the ITF-level against opponents ranked well outside the top 200. Magdalena Frech’s recent form, meanwhile, is solid if unspectacular, but certainly strong enough to suggest she is the clear favourite in this matchup. For one thing, Frech won both of the previous meetings between the pair in straight sets, both in 2021. Zarazua has been a tricky customer in front of her home crowd in the past, but there’s little to suggest she can rise to the occasion this time around. Frech is too solid in all departments.
Prediction: Frech in 2
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Panna Udvardy vs Wang Xinyu
Head-to-head: first meeting
Panna Udvardy’s hard-court form is unimpressive to say the least. The Hungarian earns a living at ITF-level on the clay courts and she hasn’t won a hard-court match at any level in almost a year. Wang Xinyu, in contrast, is a player on the rise who thrives on the hard courts. She has lost her last two matches, but there is little shame in that seen as she has come up against Aryna Sabalenka and Jelena Ostapenko. They are a cut above the Hungarian. More to the point, aside from those defeats, Wang has made an impressive start to the year and, ultimately, Wang is the obvious pick here; her firepower should be far too much for Udvardy to handle.
Prediction: Wang in 2
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Hailey Baptiste vs Viktoria Kuzmova
Head-to-head: first meeting
This is an intriguing match-up between a pair of qualifiers. Both players have had success in qualifying this year, most notably in reaching the main draw at the Australian Open, without really looking at home at tour-level. This is a winnable matchup for both players, a tough one to predict. Hailey Baptise looked the more assured player in coming through the qualifying this week, winning both her matches very comfortably, but it may well be Kuzmova who has the slight edge. The Slovakian has more experience at this level and should probably be considered the favourite here as a result.
Prediction: Kuzmova in 3
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Emma Raducanu vs Daria Saville
Head-to-head: first meeting
Emma Raducanu will be the top seed at a WTA tournament for the second time in her career this week. The first time didn’t end will for the reigning US Open champion as she succumbed in her first match to China’s Wang in Linz last year. The Briton will be in action for the first time since a disappointing Australian summer where she managed to win just one match. In truth, it’s been a struggle for Raducanu ever since her US Open triumph.
Daria Saville will also be in action for the first time since a lacklustre Australian summer where she failed to win a main draw match across three events. This will be Saville’s first tournament outside of Australia since Roland Garros in 2020 as she looks to rebuild her career after undergoing achilles surgery in 2021. At her best she was a solid top 30 player.
Raducanu is ranked over 600 places above Saville, but Saville is very much capable of making this competitive. Both are rusty and lacking match play at the moment, so don’t expect Raducanu to have things all her own way despite ranking gap. Gavrilova’s versatility and defensive skills could make this a frustrating matchup for Raducanu if she doesn’t find her range, especially on the slow courts at this venue. There’s definitely the potential for an upset here.
Prediction: Saville in 3
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