Second-round action at the WTA Brisbane International continues on Wednesday as a plethora of top stars will be in action. The marquee match of the day is an exciting battle between two former World No. 1s. As always, we here at LWOT have every single match on the slate covered in our predictions articles. So, who will advance?
WTA Brisbane Day 4 Predictions
Anastasia Potapova vs Daria Saville
Head-to-head: Potapova 1-0 Saville
Anastasia Potapova is coming off a career-best season on the WTA tour. A title win in Linz underpinned her season. But on top of that, the Russian was tough to beat last year and was one of the players who played the most three-set matches. What she’ll seek is an improvement on Australian soil. She won just one main draw match in three tournaments last season. Daria Saville, by contrast, is playing on home turf and tends to have a knack for upsetting the odds, just as she did by dismissing the power-hitting Dayana Yastremska in the opening round. The Australian’s baseline discipline might prove an insurmountable block for Potapova, who has a penchant for pace rather than placement.
Prediction: Saville in 3
Anhelina Kalinina vs Clara Burel
Head-to-head: Kalinina 1-1 Burel
Anhelina Kalinina was on the verge of a Top 20 breakthrough but faded mid-last season. She was afflicted by fatigue and then injuries. Personal family trauma was also something she lived through amid the ongoing war in her home country. But her resilience has been admirable because Kalinina never lost her way in the second half of the season and did enough to retain her Top 30 spot. After a strong end to the season, the Ukrainian will be fresh and raring to go again. Clara Burel, for her part, enjoyed a triumphant December, winning the WTA 125K tournament in Angers. She has carried that momentum into the new season with a straight-sets win in her opening match. But the Frenchwoman does her best work on clay. Her frailties on serve and rallies will be quickly exposed by Kalinina.
Prediction: Kalinina in 2
Magda Linette vs Cristina Bucsa
Head-to-head: Linette 1-0 Bucsa
This is a crucial phase in Magda Linette’s season. She will be defending plenty of points at the Australian Open, and she must head there with momentum and a few wins under her belt. This is a great matchup for her taking on the tireless Spanish clay court specialist Cristina Bucsa. It is pertinent to note that Bucsa has improved by leaps and bounds outside clay, as highlighted by two surprising runs at the WTA 125K level at the back end of last season. She was a semifinalist in Angers but won the biggest WTA title of her career in Limoges last month. The Spaniard was a victor in her opening match, where she defeated Greet Minnen in three sets. Bucsa is showing tenacity and resourcefulness, something that has eluded Linette for a while now and should be a slight favorite.
Prediction: Bucsa in 3
Naomi Osaka vs Karolina Pliskova
Head-to-head: Pliskova 3-2 Osaka
This should be Naomi Osaka’s first acid test of her comeback. She’ll be playing not just as a former World No. 1 but also as the most successful player at the WTA Brisbane International. Karolina Pliskova is a three-time champion in Queensland and defeated Osaka here en route to the title during the last staging of this event in 2020. But doubts remain about the wrist injury that brought her 2023 campaign to a premature end, and she’s been forthright about it when she was questioned before the tournament. So it could be Pliskova who will struggle to get any sort of rhythm here.
Prediction: Osaka in 2
Main Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
