WTA Indian Wells Day 6 Predictions
Emma Raducanu vs Beatriz Haddad Maia
Head-to-head: first meeting
Raducanu looks to be putting together a pretty solid run in Indian Wells, beating Danka Kovinic and Magda Linette in straight sets after missing the entirety of February due to injury. Outside of her Australian Open first-round loss to Nuria Parrizas-Diaz, Haddad Maia has done a good job of playing up to her Top 15 status, notching wins over Elena Rybakina, Paula Badosa, or Daria Kasatkina in February. In her opener, the Brazilian came back from 5-7 3-5 down against Katerina Siniakova. I see this as an even match-up but I will give a slight edge to Raducanu.
Prediction: Raducanu in 3
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Bernada Pera vs Sorana Cirstea
Head-to-head: first meeting
After a disappointing 1-3 record in February, including a 1-6 2-6 loss to Madison Brengle in Doha qualifying, Pera looks like she could go on a run, bringing her clay level to the slow Indian Wells courts. The American overcame Lucia Bronzetti before outlasting Liudmila Samsonova in a three-hour-five-minute battle, saving three match points. Cirstea was 1-5 in her last six matches coming into Indian Wells. The Romanian veteran has found some luck and is close to defending her fourth-round run from last season and keeping herself in the Top 100. Cirstea beat Kimberly Birrell 6-3 6-2 and got a retirement from Madison Keys in the second round. If Pera recovers well from her three-hour battle, she should advance.
Prediction: Pera in 2
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Ons Jabeur vs Marketa Vondrousova
Head-to-head: Jabeur 3-2 Vondrousova
An exciting rematch of an Australian Open second round, where Vondrousova upset the World No. 4. Jabeur is playing her first tournament since and started out shaky, dropping the first set to Magdalena Frech. She recovered though and won 6-1 in the third. While Jabeur was off, Vondrousova put in some nice performances in her Linz semifinal run. The difference came in Indian Wells for the Czech who has reached the fourth round three out of the four times she played here. Vondrousova dropped just six games in wins over Rebecca Marino and Marie Bouzkova. This match could really go either way but I will give a slight edge to Jabeur due to the revenge factor.
Prediction: Jabeur in 3
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Elena Rybakina vs Paula Badosa
Head-to-head: Badosa 4-1 Rybakina
Rybakina followed up her amazing run to the Australian Open final with a solid 3-1 showing in Abu Dhabi and Dubai before pulling out. The World No. 10 fended off a feisty Sofia Kenin in two tiebreaks in her Indian Wells opener. Badosa, 2021 Indian Wells champion and defending semifinalist, has a lot of pressure on her as she tries to stop her descent in the rankings. The Spaniard missed out on the Australian Open after winning her first four matches in 2023 due to injury. Badosa has been searching for that form since, failing to find it in Doha and Dubai. Indian Wells has been her happy place in the past and Badosa started off this year’s campaign with a solid 6-2 7-5 win over Nuria Parrizas-Diaz. The former No. 2 leads the head-to-head 4-1 over Rybakina, beating her both on clay, hard, and indoors. With the conditions suiting Badosa as we have seen in the past, she should be able to find a way to beat Rybakina again.
Prediction: Badosa in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
