Elena Rybakina destroyed her competition at the WTA 500 in Brisbane last week and will be hoping to do the same in Adelaide now. The top seed kicks off her campaign against Cristina Bucsa on Wednesday. Who do you think will prevail? We also predict the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article.
WTA Adelaide Day 3 Predictions
Laura Siegemund vs Ana Bogdan
Head-to-head: 1-1
Laura Siegemund has left the United Cup with so much confidence, despite never playing a singles match. While Angelique Kerber was the team captain’s first choice for the mixed in the group stage, the 35-year-old got the chance to shine in the knockouts and instantly presented her doubles pedigree to be the best player on the court in most of these clashes. Singles isn’t as much of a priority for her anymore but she still maintains a solid level and must be feeling really good about her game at the moment.
Prediction: Siegemund in 3
Taylor Townsend vs Marta Kostyuk
Head-to-head: First meeting
Taylor Townsend lost in the final qualifying round to Claire Liu, but she’s taken advantage of her lucky loser spot and defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the main draw. The 27-year-old is one of the best doubles players in the world and still manages to be dangerous in the singles, especially since getting back to a more regular schedule last year. While on paper she doesn’t have a game as threatening as Marta Kostyuk, she’s a smart player with a unique style and will probably trouble the Ukrainian here at least for a bit.
Prediction: Kostyuk in 3
Daria Kasatkina vs Anna Kalinskaya
Head-to-head: Kasatkina 3-1
Anna Kalinskaya was one of the most in-form players around October/November, getting wonderful runs at the WTA 125 level with a final in Tampico and the title in Midland. She’s also taken that to the new season with a 4-1 record and a win over Barbora Krejcikova in the opening round here. You simply don’t want to face her right now and while she is trailing in the head-to-head against Daria Kasatkina, her level right now should give her a very solid chance to get the upset.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 3
Elena Rybakina vs Cristina Bucsa
Head-to-head: First meeting
Elena Rybakina still choosing to play this event after Brisbane might be a little surprising, especially considering she got a perfect warm-up for the Australian Open there and a massive confidence boost. The Kazakh dropped just 15 games in 9 sets on the way to the title, including a 6-0 6-3 demolition over Aryna Sabalenka. It’s very hard to go against her right now and it doesn’t seem like Cristina Bucsa is in the same league at the moment (barely anyone is).
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
