The second round of the 2022 WTA Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca will be finished on Thursday. The Romanian fans will be hoping to see their only remaining player, Elena-Gabriela Ruse, progress further into the draw. She’s facing a tough opponent in the promising Xiyu Wang though. Who do you think will advance?
WTA Cluj Day 4 Predictions
Viktorija Golubic vs Anastasia Potapova
Head-to-head: Potapova 1-0
Anastasia Potapova scored a great win over Ann Li in the opening round, while Viktorija Golubic beat Diane Parry in the rare battle of one-handed backhands. The up-and-coming Russian should more or less have control over the proceedings here. If she can keep her error count low but also take time away from her opponent, the indoor conditions should only help her achieve her goals.
Prediction: Potapova in 3
Dalma Galfi vs Nuria Parrizas-Diaz
Head-to-head: 1-1
Nuria Parrizas-Diaz had too much pace for Irina Maria Bara in the opening round and she will try to execute a similar gameplan here. The Spaniard will need to try to avoid a second-set dip this time, because a player as talented as Dalma Galfi might not allow her to still take the win. Parrizas-Diaz seems to enjoy the conditions in Cluj though and should be the slight favorite here.
Prediction: Parrizas-Diaz in 3
Ysaline Bonaventure vs Anhelina Kalinina
Head-to-head: Bonaventure 1-0
Anhelina Kalinina looked great in her first match since retiring at the US Open, although it only lasted a set as Eugenie Bouchard was forced to retire. The Ukrainian withstood her power incredibly well though and made herself a nightmare to hit through. She’s going to need to be on point again as Ysaline Bonaventure is on a hot streak in recent weeks, making the quarterfinals in Tallin and winning three matches here already. The Belgian is usually brilliant indoors too.
Prediction: Bonaventure in 3
Xinyu Wang vs Anna Blinkova
Head-to-head: First meeting
This might be a higher-quality match than most would expect. Xinyu Wang is coming off a runner-up appearance at a 60K ITF in Trnava, while Anna Blinkova has blasted through her first three opponents here. The Chinese played some phenomenal tennis in her upset over Magda Linette in the opening round here. The big question here is whether she has enough left in the tank (and whether she’ll repeat her level from that great win).
Prediction: Wang in 3
Elena-Gabriela Ruse vs Xiyu Wang
Head-to-head: First meeting
Xiyu Wang has already taken out one home crowd favorite, now she’ll need to battle Elena-Gabriela Ruse. The Chinese lost her first matches in both Ostrava and Tallinn but did so against quality opposition (peaking Caty McNally and Anett Kontaveit). Based on her level in the opening round here, she might have too much for Ruse, whose game has rarely been firing of late.
Prediction: Wang in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
