The action heats up on Day 3 of the WTA Abierto Akron Zapopan in Guadalajara, Mexico as four places in the quarterfinals go up for grabs. There’s plenty of even matchups to take a look at on Wednesday, highlighted by a clash between Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and Anastasia Potapova. Who will prevail?
WTA Guadalajara Day 3 Predictions
Qiang Wang vs Harmony Tan
H2H: First meeting
Harmony Tan caused a massive upset in the opening round as she ousted the second seeded Madison Keys with a 6-4 1-6 6-1 victory, Tan’s win over Keys was the biggest win of her career, her first win over a player ranked inside the top 30.
Wang Qiang continued her recent form reversal as she made a strong start in Guadalajara with a dominant 6-2 6-1 win over Lauren Davis. Wang’s ranking has plummeted to #144, a deep run this week would be highly beneficial for the former world #12.
This is a match that Wang should be winning. It will be a totally different matchup for Tan compared to playing Keys. Tan was gifted a heap of points by an errant Keys, the same luxuries won’t be awarded on this occasion. Wang should be too solid in the first meeting between the pair.
Prediction: Q. Wang in 2
Xinyu Wang vs Anna Kalinskaya
H2H: Kalinskaya 1-0
Anna Kalinskaya made a promising start in Guadalajara with a 6-3 2-6 6-2 win over the eighth seeded Qinwen Zheng. The Russian now faces another young Chinese player on the rise. Xinyu Wang has been making rapid progress in recent times, a hard hitting baseline game makes a real threat.
Kalinskaya won the only previous meeting between the pair, a 4-6 7-6 6-2 win at the Australian Open in 2020. Wang’s recent form and general improvements since their last clash seemingly make her chances of reversing that result quite strong. I’ll side with Wang here.
Prediction: X. Wang in 3
Marie Bouzkova vs Lucia Bronzetti
H2H: First meeting.
Marie Bouzkova was far from convincing in a 4-6 7-5 6-4 opening round win over Misaki Doi. The Czech’s form has been poor for quite some time now, back-to-back wins have been a rarity. A matchup with Lucia Bronzetti presents as a decent opportunity for Bouzkova to reverse that trend.
Bronzetti also battled from a set down in her opening round matchup in Guadalajara. The Italian defeated Caty McNally 6-7 6-3 6-3 and has now won three matches this week having come through the qualifying draw.
I’m going to side with Bronzetti. Winning is a habit, a habit Bronzetti has mastered over the last 12 months, albeit at the lower levels. Every match is a struggle for Bouzkova at the moment, a matchup with such a solid player on a slow court will be another struggle.
Prediction: Bronzetti in 3
Anna Karolina Schmiedlova vs Anastasia Potapova
H2H: 1-1.
A matchup between two promising talents that have generally failed to live up to expectations in recent times. A good opportunity for both players to reach a quarterfinal and build momentum. Schmiedlova 6-1 6-4 opening round win against the fifth seeded Nuria Parrizas-Diaz was encouraging. Potapova got lucky in her opener as Lesia retired hurt after a messy opening set. This match will be played late at night in slow heavy conditions, that should give Schmiedlova the edge in this matchup. Schmiedlova enjoys a slower surface, Potapova is likely to crumble at some stage and hit too many unforced errors.
Prediction: Schmiedlova in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
