Wednesdays of WTA 1000-level tournaments often bring out the best tennis throughout the entire calendar year. The majority of the WTA’s Top 8 open their campaigns at the Western & Southern Open, with the action heating up. LWOS predicts all 14 of the second round matches in store, with this set featuring ninth seeded Petra Kvitova and seventh seed Coco Gauff. We split the other matches between three other articles–featuring Iga Swiatek vs Danielle Collins, Elena Rybakina vs Jelena Ostapenko, and Venus Williams vs Qinwen Zheng. Who do you think will advance?
WTA Cincinnati Day 3 Predictions
Petra Kvitova vs Linda Noskova
Head-to-head: Kvitova 1-0
A battle of Czech counterparts, Kvitova won their only meeting earlier in Miami. Of course, Kvitova offered a blast to the past that fortnight, winning the whole title and pushing back in the Top 10. These courts in Cincinnati are distinctly similar to Miami, so it’ll be interesting to see whether that plays a role. Kvitova looked great in her opener against Blinkova, all while Noskova put Samsonova out of her fatigued misery with a three-set win. Expecting Kvitova’s powerful lefty groundstrokes to prove too strong in this matchup.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
Daria Kasatkina vs Varvara Gracheva
Head-to-head: Gracheva 2-1
Gracheva achieved only her second career win over a Grand Slam champion, halting Caroline Wozniacki’s comeback with a 6-4 6-4 win. Gracheva’s consistent groundstrokes forced an atypical amount of errors from Dane, understandable as she re-adjusts to the tour. Lucky for Gracheva, she faces a similar opponent to Wozniacki, as Kasatkina relies on defense as opposed to power-hitting. Kasatkina took out the fiery and offensive Peyton Stearns in round one, but this will be a completely different and likely tricky matchup. Gracheva also won her latest two meetings against Kasatkina, including a 6-1 6-1 demolition at the Australian Open.
Prediction: Gracheva in 3
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Coco Gauff vs Maya Sherif
Head-to-head: First meeting
Coco Gauff tends to thrive in these kind of matches, typically winning matches against opponents ranked far below her. While the American looked poor in her three-set loss to Jessica Pegula in Montreal, it was certainly understandable with all the tennis she played in Washington and Montreal. While Sherif is looking more and more likely to be a mainstay in the Top 50, she lacks major weapons that helps her in big matches. Gauff should exploit some of Sherif’s weaknesses, and will definitely be able to take chances on return. Even more so, if Gauff serves well, it’ll be extremely difficult for Sherif to find any rhythm in this match.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
