The first round of the Australian Open wraps up on Day 2. We get to see 32 women’s matches across the grounds in Melbourne, in the more wide-open half of the draw. As always, we here at LWOT share our thoughts on all the matches with you. We split the day’s matches between eight different articles. Our other articles feature Aryna Sabalenka vs Tereza Martincova, Sorana Cirstea vs Yulia Putintseva, Karolina Pliskova vs Xiyu Wang, Daria Kasatkina vs Varvara Gracheva, Mayar Sherif vs Magda Linette, Leylah Fernandez vs Alize Cornet, and Ons Jabeur vs Tamara Zidansek. Predicting this set of matches are Jim Smith, Damian Kust, and Jakub Bobro. Who do you think will win?
Australian Open Day 2 Women’s Predictions
Irina-Camelia Begu vs Elizabeth Mandlik
Jim:
Begu had an excellent 2022 and earned herself a place in the top 30 once again. She was well-beaten by Aryna Sabalenka last time out, but this looks like a less challenging assignment. Mandlik, given a reprieve as a lucky loser, will be able to swing freely, but this will probably be a challenge too far for the American.
Prediction: Begu in 2
Damian:
Begu isn’t going to be happy about getting the lucky loser here. She was supposed to face Saisai Zheng coming back after a year of inactivity, but now gets a talented up-and-comer with good match rhythm. Mandlik might actually win this on a pretty fast court.
Prediction: Mandlik in 3
Jakub:
Begu had a very impressive first week in Adelaide, beating Veronika Kudermetova and Jelena Ostapenko to reach the semifinals. Mandlik, daughter of Hana Mandlikova, enters as a lucky loser after the withdrawal of Zheng Saisai. The American had a great season in 2022, winning three ITF titles and finishing inside the Top 150. Mandlik has only lost to Slovaks this season so far but though she could be a tough out, I expect Begu to win here.
Prediction: Begu in 3
Martina Trevisan vs Anna Karolina Schmiedlova
Jim:
Trevisan suffered a few bruising defeats at the United Cup, not least against Beatriz Haddad Maia who beat her for the loss of only two games. But the Italian also scored a couple of wins, including against Maria Sakkari, and starting her year against some of the best of the world can hardly have hurt her Australian Open preparations.
Prediction: Trevisan in 3
Damian:
Trevisan rarely performs on hard courts, but she actually did fine at the United Cup. Can she repeat that? Maybe, although Schmiedlova is no pushover and she should be carrying plenty of confidence as well, having produced a set of excellent displays in the qualifying draw.
Prediction: Schmiedlova in 3
Jakub:
Trevisan is one of the weaker seeds in Melbourne due to her hard court level but the Italian did show some great fight to defeat Maria Sakkari at the United Cup but was outplayed for most of the week. Schmiedlova is not going to hit through Trevisan but the Slovak did qualify without dropping a set. This will likely be a grindfest but I could see Schmiedlova winning it.
Prediction: Schmiedlova in 3
Kaia Kanepi vs Kimberly Birrell
Jim:
Kanepi is a player no opponent wants to face in the early rounds of a Slam. The Estonian does tend to save her best for the big stage, however, which could count in Birrell’s favour here. Unfortunately, the skill gap is probably too big for the Australian to bridge.
Prediction: Kanepi in 2
Damian:
Kanepi had an excellent run at the Australian Open last year and is known for making incredible upsets at Slams. First, she needs to get through a couple of rounds to have a chance at doing it again. This is a pretty favorable draw.
Prediction: Kanepi in 2
Jakub:
Kanepi has a lot of pressure on her in Melbourne as she is defending a quarterfinal. The Estonian had a mixed start to the season, going 3-3, but gets a nice first round against Birrell. The Australian wild card won just three games against Shelby Rogers in her last match.
Prediction: Kanepi in 2
Anett Kontaveit vs Julie Grabher
Jim:
It’s tough to know what to expect from Kontaveit with the Estonian having been plagued by inconsistency of late. That has seen her fall from her career-high ranking of world #2 to her current position of 19th in the rankings. That said, she should have enough to get past Grabher.
Prediction: Kontaveit in 2
Damian:
She had some terrible draws, but Kontaveit is winless to start the year and no one considers her a serious title threat anymore. Maybe that will actually help her and she can play pressure-free. Anyway, this is a great draw for her to kick off the Australian Open campaign in good style.
Prediction: Kontaveit in 2
Jakub:
Kontaveit suffered a drop in ranking and performance last season, playing mediocre for almost all of 2022 and falling from No. 2 to No. 16. Grabher is one of the weakest players in the draw on hard courts though, winning just four combined games in her last two matches. This should be an easy win for the Estonian
Prediction: Kontaveit in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
