Day two in tennis paradise features some great matches in the women’s draw. Of those, this set of picks is headline by former world #1 Naomi Osaka. The Japanese star has not reached those heights in a while, but is always a threat on hard courts. How she and the rest of the field fair in this tournament is an interesting question. It is also a question we attempt to answer daily as we do today in our WTA Indian Wells Day 2 predictions.
As always, we predict every match for you. We look at four in this article, while the others are split between three more articles–featuring Amanda Anisimova vs Emma Navarro, Heather Watson vs Tereza Martincova, and Katie Boulter vs Jasmine Paolini.
WTA Indian Wells Day 2 Predictions
Kristina Kucova vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse
Ruse is the better player of these two, both in recent months and consistently over the course of her career. However, Kucova leads the head-to-head and their only meeting was on hard courts in 2019. That straight sets win counts for something. Ruse has been very good in 2022, but will be wary of her opponent here. I expect her to advance, but this will almost certainly go the distance either way.
Predictions: Ruse in 3
Magdalena Frech vs Mayar Sherif
Sherif is a great player in a very good purple patch. She has shown in recent months that she has the game to mix it with the best in the WTA. By contrast, Frech has been a consistent player for many a year without ever showing the consistency or talent to break through onto the main tour on a consistent basis. A good run here would give her a great opportunity to change that. However, it’s hard to see her getting past Sherif here. Back the rising African star to move on here.
Prediction: Sherif in 2
Nuria Parrizas-Diaz vs Shelby Rogers
This match poses quite a difficult challenge in terms of a prediction. Until six months ago, Rogers would have been favoured to walk this without breaking a sweat. However, Parrizas-Diaz has made herself into a WTA Tour level player seemingly overnight and has been a standout in the women’s game in recent months. The Spaniard is full of confidence and has nothing to lose given she has broken out so late into her career. Expect that care-free brand of tennis to make waves this year, starting with another big win in a tight affair here.
Prediction: Parrizas-Diaz in 3
Naomi Osaka vs Sloane Stephens
Stephens has finally shown signs of life after a couple of dismal years on the WTA Tour. From a personal standpoint the American has had a tough time of things. However, her tennis has been equally tough to swallow and it’s great to see one of the more talented players in the women’s game happy and playing good tennis again. She faces a tough if uncertain matchup here in the form of Osaka. The Japanese star at her best is one of the greatest players in tennis. However, nobody has seen that level in a while, nor do we know if she will reach it again. Given recent form and stability off the court, it’s refreshing to be able to back Stephens once again and that is precisely what I’m going to do here.
Predictions: Stephens in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
