Almost every match was rained off on Monday, so it’s an extremely busy schedule on Day 2 of the 2023 WTA Western & Southern Open now in Cincinnati. Jelena Ostapenko takes on Karolina Pliskova and Victoria Azarenka faces Barbora Krejcikova in some all-Slam-finalist battles. As always, we here at LWOT are offering our predictions for every match on the slate, but who do you think will prevail and advance to the next stage of the event?
WTA Cincinnati Day 2 Predictions
Daria Kasatkina vs Peyton Stearns
Head-to-head: Kasatkina 1-0
There was a time around the clay season when Peyton Stearns looked like one of the hottest prospects on tour. The 2022 NCAA champion made her first WTA Tour final, then beat Jelena Ostapenko at Roland Garros. It was exactly Daria Kasatkina who stopped her in Paris in a 6-0 6-1 blowout. This matchup should be easier to handle in the conditions of Cincinnati, but with Stearns a little short on confidence at the moment, the Russian remains the favorite.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
Mayar Sherif vs Xiyu Wang
Head-to-head: First meeting
Xiyu Wang had to play just one match in the qualifying and managed to blow Yulia Putinsteva off the court, giving the resilient Kazakh just four games. She should be the favorite against Mayar Sherif here as well. Cincinnati hard courts are among the quickest on tour and the clay specialist in the Egyptian might not enjoy them too much with her extreme forehand grip. Wang is definitely better equipped to handle the conditions.
Prediction: Wang in 2
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Jelena Ostapenko vs Karolina Pliskova
Head-to-head: Pliskova 5-4
Jelena Ostapenko and Karolina Pliskova are two of the most erratic players on the tour, but at the same time they can be unstoppable when on. It’s no wonder then that their rivalry has always been fairly close and has included anything from blowout wins for both players to tight battles like the 10-8 deciding set at the Australian Open. Ostapenko won their most recent meeting in Adelaide this year 6-1 6-3. She’s been a bit more consistent this year, but this really is a form-of-the-day type of matchup.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 3
Victoria Azarenka vs Barbora Krejcikova
Head-to-head: 1-1
This matchup looks exciting, but it’s mostly one big injury question mark at the moment. We haven’t even seen Barbora Krejcikova on court since Wimbledon, where she retired in the second round. Victoria Azarenka beat Magda Linette in Toronto last week, only to withdraw ahead of her next match with Sloane Stephens. As such, we have very little info in regard to what will happen. Azarenka at least played a couple of matches since the grass, so maybe she’ll have a small edge.
Prediction: Azarenka in 3
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
