The Round of 16 at the WTA Brisbane International will feature all eight matches on Thursday. Top seed Aryna Sabalenka will be among the headliners when she faces China’s Zhu Lin. There is also an exciting all-Russian battle between Veronika Kudermetova and Anastasia Potapova, who are playing on Australian soil for a second time. Who do you think will reach the last eight?
WTA Brisbane Day 5 Predictions
Linda Noskova vs Julia Riera
Head-to-head: first meeting
Linda Noskova is the early pacesetter when it comes to accumulating the most mileage in the opening week. After taking over three hours to beat Timea Babos in three sets, she was taken the distance by world #26 Sorana Cirstea but successfully navigated that test. Just like at the start of last season, she’s caught fire Down Under. Noskova has a great chance to make the last eight after Argentina’s Julia Riera authored the upset of the tournament so far by taking down world #21 Ekaterina Alexandrova. It is now four wins from qualifying for the unheralded qualifier. But will that streak run its course against the richly talented Czech teenager? Very likely.
Prediction: Noskova in 2
Clara Burel vs Victoria Azarenka
Head-to-head: first meeting
Clara Burel was in scintillating form in dismissing Anhelina Kalinina for the loss of five games. The Ukrainian was woefully out of form and struggled to command rallies. While the Frenchwoman doesn’t quite have a decisive serve to win cheap points, she makes it up with her heavy forehand and versatile baseline game. But her skillset is unlikely to match that of two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka. The Belarusian stumbled at the finish line but got the job done in her opener against Anna Kalinskaya. It should be a tight affair, considering Burel is bringing an eight-match winning run from last season, so Azarenka might need to dig deeper again.
Prediction: Azarenka in 3
Veronika Kudermetova vs Anastasia Potapova
Head-to-head: Kudermetova 3-1 Potapova
This should be an exciting meeting of two powerful players. Kudermetova defeated Potapova in their solitary hard-court meeting in Australia back in 2022, winning the deciding set 6-0. A lot has happened since that match, with both player’s careers taking an upward trajectory. Kudermetova has soared to a career-high mark of world #9 (currently down to 16), while Potapova broke the Top 30 last season. Kudermetova is armed with the bigger and more effective tools to win this match. The court plays very fast, and she’ll take time away from Potapova, who struggled mightily against Daria Saville in the opening round.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 2
Aryna Sabalenka vs Zhu Lin
Head-to-head: Sabalenka 3-0 Lin
It took 58 minutes for Aryna Sabalenka to power past Lucia Bronzetti in her second-round match. It was the World No. 2’s first win of this brand-new season. Top seeds are always at risk of being caught cold in the opening week of the season. However, due to the growing number of exhibition tournaments and invitations during the off-season, Sabalenka was able to refine her game. She’ll face a determined challenger in Zhu Lin. The Chinese World No. 33 is coming off her career-best year. But the stat that makes for a grim reading is that she has never won a set in three previous meetings against Sabalenka and has tallied an aggregate of 12 games. Her fortunes are unlikely to change on Thursday.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
