The remaining sixteen seeds will kick off their 2023 WTA BNP Paribas Open campaigns on Saturday in Indian Wells, California. The schedule contains plenty of excitement, including a clash of two Major champions as early as the second round and Emma Raducanu trying to grab another win against the recent Australian Open semifinalist Magda Linette. Who do you think will come out on top?
WTA Indian Wells Day 4 Predictions
Liudmila Samsonova vs Bernarda Pera
Head-to-head: 1-1
Liudmila Samsonova crushed Bernarda Pera in Cleveland last year, but the conditions here will give a small helping hand to the American. She’ll try to keep her opponent in the backhand corner with her lefty forehand topspin and hope the court neutralizes the booming serve of the Russian enough. Is Pera good enough to take advantage? Maybe, but the World No. 12 remains the favorite ahead of this one.
Prediction: Samsonova in 3
Elena Rybakina vs Sofia Kenin
Head-to-head: Rybakina 1-0
Two Slam champions will have to battle very early in the event. Sofia Kenin is slowly rebuilding her game, but she still mixes up solid matches with terrible off-days. Elena Rybakina did well in Indian Wells last year and while in theory, the conditions aren’t the best for her big game, having plenty of time to set up her strokes certainly isn’t a disadvantage for the Kazakh.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Daria Kasatkina vs Tatjana Maria
Head-to-head: First meeting
Daria Kasatkina has won just four of her ten matches this year, but it seems like she should like her chances to get back on the right track in Indian Wells. The 2018 runner-up takes on Tatjana Maria, whose quirky play style tends to give many quality players fits. However, it doesn’t feel like the German’s slice will have enough bite on the higher-bouncing courts here and she’s not going to pressurize Kasatkina’s 2nd serve.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 2
Magda Linette vs Emma Raducanu
Head-to-head: Raducanu 1-0
Emma Raducanu wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to compete in Indian Wells due to a wrist injury, but it didn’t present itself in her match against Danka Kovinic. She gave Magda Linette just four games when they played in Seoul last year, will it be different this time with the Pole now a Slam semifinalist? A straightforward defeat would be a surprise but it Raducanu stays healthy, she probably deserves to be perceived as a slight favorite here.
Prediction: Raducanu in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
