In the week preceding the US Open, we have a surprisingly well-attended WTA 250 in Cleveland as the players look to get warmed up for the final Slam of the year. On Day 4, we’re looking to predict the outcomes of Mirra Andreeva’s continued introduction to the tour against Sloane Stephens and a big hitting affair between Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Ekaterina Alexandrova, along with a couple of other matches.
WTA Cleveland Day 4 Predictions
Anhelina Kalinina vs Tatjana Maria
Head-to-head: Kalinina 1-0 Maria
It’s been slim pickings for Anhelina Kalinina since Rome. Her game is inherently a little more defensive so she does leave herself slightly exposed on hard courts. At the same time, Tatjana Maria might not be the worst match-up for the Ukranian. Maria’s slices will be less effective against Kalinina and she won’t be able to blow her off the court like most.
Maria is fresh off a tough WTA-125 in Barranquilla, however, having lost only 14 games in five matches… Hard to go against that kind of consistency unless the player is a seriously big hitter.
Prediction: Maria in 2
Sara Sorribes Tormo vs Veronika Kudermetova
Head-to-head: Sorribes Tormo 1-0 Kudermetova
Sara Sorribes Tormo may be a lucky loser here in Cleveland but she’s in with a good shot against Veronika Kudermetova. Despite the fact the Russian should have the game to overpower Sorribes Tormo in these conditions, Kudermetova’s confidence has wavered somewhat lately. She’s having a great year but things change quickly in tennis.
Still, it’s hard to see Sorribes Tormo breaking over and over enough times. Enough for a set maybe but we’re not sure she’ll actually pull off the win.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 3
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Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Head-to-head: Alexandrova 3-0 Sasnovich
The head-to-head between Ekaterina Alexandrova and Aliaksandra Sasnovich currently sits at 3-0 in the favour of the former. Alexandrova is as mercurial as they come, however–she’s just coming off a loss to Cirstea to the count of two games won in Cincinnati–and Sasnovich is a quality striker of the ball. To not have won a set in all of those meetings seems a little unlucky.
Ultimately, on a faster court, it does feel like Alexandrova’s aggression trumps Sasnovich’s ever so slightly. We trust in Sasnovich’s quality to get her a set though.
Prediction: Alexandrova in 3
Sloane Stephens vs Mirra Andreeva
Head-to-head: First meeting
The question on every American’s mind–does Sloane Stephens have a chance to repeat her heroics at this year’s US Open? She’s certainly still mixing it with some of the best players in the world (defeated defending champion Caroline Garcia last week in Cincinnati) but her form has been up and down to say the least, going 16-16 on the year.
Mirra Andreeva feels like the kind of player that could give the American plenty trouble. She’ll extract errors out of Stephens if she’s feeling out of sorts… but–call us crazy–we don’t think the American will be feeling out of sorts. She has a habit of stepping up for one big match per tournament on home soil. The crowd will be right behind Stephens and, with Andreeva still getting used to the to-and-fro of the tour, it could be enough to get her over the line.
Prediction: Stephens in 3
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
