The Indian Wells Tennis Garden is hosting is back in its March slot for the first time in two years. Day 2 at the WTA BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells will continue the unseeded action but there are still plenty of exciting match-ups. As always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match. We look at four in this article, while the others are split between three more articles–featuring Naomi Osaka vs Sloane Stephens, Amanda Anisimova vs Emma Navarro, and Katie Boulter vs Jasmine Paolini. Who do you think will win?
WTA Indian Wells Day 2 Predictions
Dalma Galfi vs Alison Van Uytvanck
Head-to-head: first meetings
Galfi is looking to become the third Hungarian woman in the Top 100 with Anna Bondar and Panna Udvardy and qualifying for the Indian Wells main draw. The 23-year-old beat out Maddison Inglis and Lucia Bronzetti to qualify and is now 10-5 on the year. Van Uytvanck has a losing record on the year but is just coming off of a quarterfinal in Lyon where she notched wins over Vera Zvonareva and Varvara Gracheva. The Belgian has only broken through the first round twice in six Indian Wells while Galfi is making her first appearance here. Van Uytvanck should be a slight favorite.
Prediction: Van Uytvanck in 2
Katerina Siniakova vs Irina-Camelia Begu
Head-to-head: Siniakova 2-1 Begu
Siniakova is 3-5 on the year right now, yet to win a match outside of Dubai and yet to win a main draw match in 2022. Begu is on a three-match losing streak but has a St. Petersburg semifinal under her belt as well as a quarterfinal from Melbourne Summer Set 2. The two faced each other three times in 2015 with the Czech coming out on top twice. I do like Begu here more in the slower conditions, so for me she is the favorite.
Prediction: Begu in 3
Oceane Dodin vs Kaja Juvan
Head-to-head: first meeting
Dodin has been mediocre this year with a 6-8 record and only one Top 100 win on the season. Juvan has navigated the murky waters of qualifying very well recently, qualifying and winning a round in both St. Petersburg and Doha. The 21-year-old qualified for the main draw again in Indian Wells, beating Tatjana Maria and a retirement from Lesia Tsurenko. I believe Juvan will continue the pattern and notch another win.
Prediction: Juvan in 2
Heather Watson vs Tereza Martincova
Head-to-head: first meeting
Watson hasn’t enjoyed the best start to 2022 as her results have been middling and the 29-year-old fell out of the Top 100. That meant the former Top 40 player was forced to qualify but did so successfully, beating out Rebeka Masarova and Mai Hontama. Martincova has been quietly on the rise over the past two years and is now comfortably a Top 50 player. Her consistency has been strong this year while lacking a deeper run so far, resulting in a 5-5 record with only one first-round loss. The 27-year-old did make a splash with an impressive win over Elina Svitolina in Doha. I expect Martincova to take this match unless Watson summons up a vintage performance.
Prediction: Martincova in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
