One more significant tournament will take place prior to the US Open, with top WTA players squaring off in Cincinnati. The top-eight seeds all have byes into the second round, but the first round will nevertheless feature some of the top stars, including the Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, and legend Venus Williams. LWOS offers insight into all of the first-round matches, with 12 matches lined up for Day 1 of the tournament. We look at the rest of the day’s matches in two separate articles–one features Elina Svitolina vs Caroline Wozniacki and the other features Sloane Stephens vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
WTA Cincinnati Day 1 Predictions
Celine Naef vs Anastasia Potapova
Head-to-head: Potapova 1-0
Ever since Potapova’s flawless form in the spring, she’s come back to earth as of late. Yet, this is a good first round for the World No. 23 to do some damage and gain some needed momentum. Naef is slowly establishing herself as a contender at main draw level, but she doesn’t have a vast amount of experience. The two played just a few weeks ago in Wimbledon, with Potapova winning easily. The same should happen today unless Potapova noticeably suffers a dip in form.
Prediction: Potapova in 2
Bernarda Pera vs Martina Trevisan
Head-to-head: Pera 1-0
Pera technically leads the head-to-head, but she and Trevisan’s only meeting came at the ITF level in 2017. Neither player has been in great form lately, but Trevisan has the advantage of playing two qualifying matches in Cincinnati. Along with the matches under her belt, she got a confident boosting win over home favorite Taylor Townsend, 7-5 in the third. This will be an interesting all-lefty clash, with both players utilizing heavy topspin techniques and grinding out points. A 50-50 matchup, but the edge may go to Pera with her experience playing on home soil.
Prediction: Pera in 3
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Marketa Vondrousova vs Katerina Siniakova
Head-to-head: Siniakova 1-0
This is an intriguing matchup, as Siniakova won the pair’s only meeting at the 2018 Wuhan Open. Vondrousova’s first tournament after her Wimbledon victory was ultimately a disappointment: an anticlimactic 6-3 6-0 loss to Coco Gauff. She’ll have to be focused against Siniakova, a player who very well knows how to target weaknesses. The two have played together on the Czech Republic Fed Cup team, and Siniakova is known for giant-killer upsets. Going for the underdog in this one.
Prediction: Siniakova in 2
Venus Williams vs Veronika Kudermetova
Head-to-head: First meeting
Could this be the last time Venus Williams plays in Cincinnati? She’s told reporters about her enthralling and inspiring goal to play until 50, but fans will never truly know. Despite her spot in the Top 20, Kudermetova hasn’t been playing at such a caliber as of late. She’s been vulnerable to early upsets, and tends to overhit in pressure moments. With Venus benefiting from a home crowd, she could potentially pull this off. However, it could be a physically tasking ask, so Kudermetova just gets the edge.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 3
Main Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
