Poland takes on Kazakhstan and Croatia battles Argentina on day four of the United Cup. The most thrilling matchup out of these clashes is Hubert Hurkacz taking on Alexander Bublik in the encounter between their respective countries’ top-ranked singles players. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate on day four at the United Cup, including Paula Badosa vs Harriet Dart and Thiago Monteiro vs Casper Ruud. But who will come out on top?
United Cup Day 4 Predictions
Magda Linette vs Zhibek Kulambayeva
Head-to-head: first meeting
Zhibek Kulambayeva has been playing much better than her ranking during the United Cup, really enjoying herself in the team-based competition (especially in the mixed doubles). It hasn’t amounted to much though and the skill gap between her and Magda Linette is likely going to be insurmountable. This should be a comfortable day at the office for the Pole.
Prediction: Linette in 2
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Petra Martic vs Nadia Podoroska
Head-to-head: Martic 1-0 Podoroska
For a clay-court specialist, Nadia Podoroska is actually quite competitive on hard courts and made the semifinals at the WTA 250 event in Chennai three months ago (lost to Linda Fruhvirtova). Unfortunately, she was completely blown away by Caroline Garcia in her first match here. Petra Martic is not going to walk all over her like the Frenchwoman could, but this is yet another tough ask for Podoroska.
Prediction: Martic in 3
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Borna Gojo vs Federico Coria
Head-to-head: first meeting
Federico Coria took just one game off Adrian Mannarino on Friday and generally can’t execute his style of play effectively on hard courts. The same cannot be said about Borna Gojo, who’s got a lot more weaponry and should be able to take over the initiative pretty easily here. Especially because the contrast between their serves is quite stark.
Prediction: Gojo in 2
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Hubert Hurkacz vs Alexander Bublik
Head-to-head: Hurkacz 3-1 Bublik
Alexander Bublik defeated Hubert Hurkacz in Dubai three years ago, but has since been rather easily taken down by the Pole whenever they played. After a loss to Stan Wawrinka on Friday, the 25-year-old will now look for a chance to rebound. It’s not that surprising that someone as mercurial as Bublik usually struggles in the Hurkacz matchup. The Pole can match him in the serve department and just doesn’t give away points for free.
Prediction: Hurkacz in 3
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