A deep draw in San Diego means we should see brilliant tennis throughout the week. In fact, Tuesday sees several Grand Slam champions and top ten players take to the court in what promises to be a great day of tennis. Headlining the three matches covered in this set of WTA San Diego Open predictions are Elena Rybakina and Garbine Muguruza. However, they are far from the only must-see match so be sure to check out our other predictions set for the rest of the day’s action.
WTA San Diego Open Day 2 Predictions
Karolina Pliskova vs Caroline Dolehide
Head-to-head: First meeting
Karolina Pliskova appears to be on the downward slope of her career after a disappointing 2021 continued into this year. The Czech still has an immense serve and can hit with the best of them. However, her movement has become more and more of an issue in recent months and she is no longer in the upper echelon of women’s tennis. She faces a tricky first round opponent in Caroline Dolehide here. The American has never quite established herself on the WTA Tour, but has played very good tennis at times in her career. That being said, Pliskova is still a cut above here and should pull out the win even if her serve isn’t firing.
Prediction: Pliskova in 2
Daria Kasatkina vs Leylah Fernandez
Head-to-head: 1 – 0 Kasatkina
Both Leylah Fernandez and Emma Raducanu have disappointed somewhat in the twelve months following their 2021 dream run to the US Open finals. The same can not be said of Daria Kasatkina, who is on the cusp of a top ten year end finish. The Russian has been superb since the turn of the year and has two titles to her name in 2021. She will be eyeing a spot in the WTA Finals and knows a big result this week would go a long way in that regard. Neither player comes into this match in the best of form. However, Kasatkina’s confidence and tennis IQ count for something. I expect the Russian to edge this one.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
Elena Rybakina vs Garbine Muguruza
Head-to-head: 2 – 1 Rybakina
Two tall women with big serves and immense power off the ground who make little attempt to bring much else to the table. Get your popcorn ready because there will be winners galore in this one. Both Muguruza and Rybakina are Wimbledon champions. They both have similar games and are both often guilty of having no real plan B. That being said, the Kazakh has played much better tennis this year and will be full of confidence ahead of this match. She beat Muguruza in straight sets in Cincinnati earlier this year. In similar conditions and with no clear reason to suggest a change in result, I expect the same will happen here.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
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