The second round will be completed on Thursday at the WTA San Jose Classic. There are some great on the schedule. Aryna Sabalenka plays her first match in almost two months, while Maria Sakkari faces the upset specialist Shelby Rogers. Cori Gauff against Naomi Osaka needs no introduction. But who will advance?
WTA San Jose Day 4 Predictions
Claire Liu vs Veronika Kudermetova
Head-to-head: Kudermetova 1-0 Liu
It’s been a bit quieter than it should be about Veronika Kudermetova as the 25-year-old finds herself in the top 10 of the WTA Race. The Russian has already reached three finals this season and should be a threat in the North American hard-court season. Her draw in San Jose was absolutely terrible with the ever-dangerous Camila Giorgi as her first-round opponent. It’s not like Claire Liu is an easy opponent to face this early either, but Kudermetova has been excellent at getting out of tough situations like that this year.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 3
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Caroline Dolehide vs Aryna Sabalenka
Head-to-head: first meeting
Caroline Dolehide lost in the final qualifying round here to Storm Sanders, but managed to use her lucky loser opportunity and make the second round. In theory, she shouldn’t stand much of a chance against Sabalenka, but there’s enough uncertainty about the Belarusian’s level that an upset could be possible. The world #6 hasn’t competed since Berlin in the middle of June and has had some surprising losses on hard courts this year, namely at the Sunshine Double. She’ll likely win this in straightforward fashion anyway, but let’s see how her first match in a while goes.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
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Maria Sakkari vs Shelby Rogers
Head-to-head: Rogers 2-0 Sakkari
Rogers has the reputation for being a giant killer and she’s already produced two upsets over Sakkari fairly recently. The American wasn’t the favorite in her opener against Bianca Andreescu either and handled herself beautifully to win in straights. She’s got a game that can overwhelm the opponent and this seems like a case where having one match in the tournament already will be a massive benefit. With this being Sakkari’s first match since Wimbledon, some rust could be expected.
Prediction: Rogers in 3
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Cori Gauff vs Naomi Osaka
Head-to-head: Osaka 2-1 Gauff
Quite the blockbuster here. Gauff is having a stellar 2022 campaign and finds herself in the third spot in the WTA Race, mostly through her Roland Garros final run. Osaka hasn’t played much, but her hard-court pedigree is not to be underestimated. Whether she can be a serious US Open title contender remains to be seen. However, the Japanese put in a great performance in her first match since the clay season to beat Zheng Qinwen. Her pace off the ground is still huge and she can rush Gauff’s forehand side the way not many others can. If she executes her game right, she could be the one winning here.
Prediction: Osaka in 3
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