WTA 500 events have been extremely star-studded recently and the 2023 Rothesay International in Eastbourne is no exception. On Tuesday, what’s particularly exciting is the match between Jessica Pegula and Qinwen Zheng as the Chinese youngster will be looking for a big upset. Can she produce it? We also look at the rest of the day’s matches, split between two articles. One features Petra Kvitova vs Jelena Ostapenko, and the second features Coco Gauff vs Bernarda Pera. Who do you think will advance?
WTA Eastbourne Day 2 Predictions
Marie Bouzkova vs Beatriz Haddad Maia
Head-to-head: Haddad Maia 2-0
Beatriz Haddad Maia was on fire on the grass last year, but now suffered an early exit to Daria Snigur at Nottingham. Perhaps she just needed a bit more time to recover after the lengthy clay season with many marathon matches. Marie Bouzkova has given her trouble in the past, although the Brazilian won both times they played and should probably enjoy this matchup a bit more in quicker conditions.
Prediction: Haddad Maia in 3
Barbora Krejcikova vs Xiyu Wang
Head-to-head: 2-2
Barbora Krejcikova is coming off a runner-up finish in Birmingham, where she looked like the best player in the event all the way until the final. All her matches were wrapped up in straight sets, so she probably won’t be feeling them in her legs just yet. Xiyu Wang did well to qualify, but she’s probably still not used to the grass enough to have a shot at beating a player as smart as Krejcikova.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 2
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Jessica Pegula vs Qinwen Zheng
Head-to-head: First meeting
This is a huge one with a top player of the now and a top player of the future. We’re still waiting for the breakthrough of Qinwen Zheng and it’s seemingly just around the corner. The Chinese has very little experience on grass, but maybe with her big serve and aggressive ball-striking it’s enough for Jessica Pegula, who never quite mastered it? Last year Zheng was very up-and-down on this surface, so it’s a bit of a guessing game.
Prediction: Zheng in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
