First round action continues on Tuesday, Day 2 at the WTA 500 level Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose. Tuesday’s schedule is headlined by the return of Naomi Osaka who faces a tricky opening round test against China’s Qinwen Zheng. Will Osaka pull though? We also predict the day’s other matches in a separate article.
WTA San Jose Day 2 Predictions
Kayla Day vs Caroline Dolehide
H2H: 1-1.
A good opportunity for Kayla Day and Caroline Dolehide to get a rare victory at this level. Day successfully came through the qualifying draw, whilst Dolehide failed at the final hurdle but earned a spot in the main draw as a lucky-loser. There’s little to seperate the pair, but on form I’d have to side with Day. Dolehide’s form is especially ordinary, she seems to be really struggling at the moment.
Prediction: Day in 3
Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Claire Liu
H2H: Liu 2-1.
Beatriz Haddad Maia had an outstanding grass court season where she won back-to-back titles in Nottingham and Birmingham, followed by a run to the semifinals in Eastbourne. It will be interesting to see if the Brazilian can carry that form into the North American hard court swing. Liu is talented but generally struggling to live up to her potential in recent times. Haddad Maia is the obvious choice on form and is generally the steadier and more reliable of the two.
Prediction: Haddad Maia in 3
Naomi Osaka vs Qinwen Zheng
H2H: First meeting.
Naomi Osaka will be in action for the first time since an opening round exit at Roland Garros a couple of months ago. It remains to be seen what type of level Osaka can bring to the court with such limited match play. Osaka faces a tough opening test in San Jose when she faces the dangerous Qinwen Zheng. Osaka has shown that she can bring a high level to the court off limited preparation, I expect her to come through this challenge. Zheng still has a very raw game, she’s not the finished product, Osaka does everything better and should be keen for victory here.
Prediction: Osaka in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
