The indoor hard court action continues in Austria as Day 3 of WTA Linz is upon us. Plenty of thrilling matches are in store, with last week’s Lyon champion Alycia Parks stepping on the court. As throughout the week, we will be offering up our predictions on the day’s play. So, who will move on in Linz?
WTA Linz Day 3 Predictions
Anastasia Potapova vs Jule Niemeier
Head-to-head: Potapova 1-0
Niemeier came through a great match with Sofia Kenin to reach the second round. The young German is a terrific ball striker with an impressive amount of power – and any quick surface will suit her game. Though she lost the only meeting between her and Potapova so far, this came on clay last year and she’s come a long way since then.
Potapova struggled past Bronzetti in the first round, and this will most likely be a step up in level on these courts. The young Russian has a great game but Niemeier looks more dangerous every week – and she’s the favourite for me here.
Prediction: Niemeier in 3
Marketa Vondrousova vs Rebeka Masarova
Head-to-head: First meeting
Masarova is having a fantastic week. She took down Garcia Perez and Tauson in qualifying before upsetting the second seed Alexandrova in the first round. The Spanish-Swiss player is hitting some great form as the year begins and this is promising for the rest of her season – and clearly she’s enjoying these conditions.
Vondrousova had no issues in her opening round, and played some great tennis in Melbourne where she went out to Linda Fruhvirtova in a tight battle. The Czech hits a heavy ball and can move well – and she should be stronger in the extended rallies her. Masarova’s form may reward her a set, but I can’t see much more.
Prediction: Vondrousova in 3
Alycia Parks vs Anhelina Kalinina
Head-to-head: Kalinina 1-0
It seems Alycia Parks has officially broken through, as was very much expected of her. The young American is in electric form right now, having secured her first WTA title last week in Lyon–beating Caroline Garcia in the final. If we include her recent 125k titles, she’s on a 15-match winning streak. Her indoor hard court form is undeniably great, and it’ll be fascinating to see how far she can go in the coming weeks.
Kalinina played some exceptional tennis in Melbourne–especially in her straight sets win over Petra Kvitiova. She’s incredibly solid from the back of the court and can be really tough to hit through. Parks is a huge hitter so this matchup will be intriguing. The indoor conditions will help Parks get some more speed in her shots – and given how high her confidence will be, she’ll fancy her chances. Kalinina is a great defender and Parks does tend to overhit/spray errors so I can see this one being close, but the American will continue riding the wave.
Prediction: Parks in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
