The second round of women’s singles starts on Wednesday in Melbourne, Day 4 at the Australian Open. We get 16 matches as players try to move on to the third round. As always, we at LastWordOnTennis share our thoughts on all 16 matches with you. We split the matches between four articles–the other three feature Caroline Wozniacki vs Maria Timofeeva, Ons Jabeur vs Mirra Andreeva, and Aryna Sabalenka vs Brenda Fruhvirtova. Predicting these matches are Jack Edward, Damian Kust, and Jordan Reynolds.
Australian Open Day 4 Women’s Predictions
Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Alina Korneeva
Jack:
Haddad Maia isn’t particularly prone to upsets. She’s an adept fighter that won’t be afraid to take the legs out from underneath the current junior #1 Alina Korneeva.
Prediction: Haddad Maia in 2
Damian:
Korneeva’s win over Sorribes Tormo was amazing in the opening round, it’s usually such a horrible matchup for youngsters but she straight up blasted her way through all the variety. She’s certainly not drawing dead in this one and in fact why not produce another upset, especially against a high seed who’s relatively consistent but lacks that extra edge, Slam-winning quality.
Prediction: Korneeva in 3
Jordan:
16-year-old Korneeva’s triumph from a set down against Sara Sorribes Tormo on her Grsnd Slam main draw debut was one of the stories of the opening few days. Haddad Maia’s consistent style is not too dissimilar to Sorribes Tormo’s. However, the Brazilian does possess a little more firepower, in addition to also having even more grit than Sorribes Tormo. Overcoming a player as stubborn as Haddad Maia after already playing a long match feels like a big ask for Korneeva.
Prediction: Haddad Maia in 2
Paula Badosa vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Jack:
It’s very tough to ignore Pavlyuchenkova’s win over Vekic in the first round. Badosa may have plenty of experience of her own to draw on but I trust in the raw power of the Russian’s groundstrokes in the blistering conditions of Australia.
Prediction: Pavlyuchenkova in 3
Damian:
I was expecting Pavlyuchenkova to make the fourth round here, although Badosa doing well could suddenly emerge as a bit of an unexpected threat in her draw. Not that the Spaniard can’t play, it’s just that she’s been out for a while and missed three of the four Slams last year. I’ll stick to Pavlyuchenkova but with less confidence now.
Prediction: Pavlyuchenkova in 3
Jordan:
Badosa looked great in just her second match back from a long injury against Taylor Townsend. But Pavlyuchenkova also impressed a lot to overcome last year’s quarterfinalist Donna Vekic. This promises to be close. Badosa gets a slight edge, who I feel could slip under the radar and have a good run in Melbourne.
Prediction: Badosa in 3
Maria Sakkari vs Elina Avanesyan
Jack:
Sakkari’s in a rut at the Majors. She hasn’t progressed passed the third round in seven consecutive Grand Slams. It’s a new year though and she hasn’t dropped a set in four matches in 2024. She’ll perhaps take out Avanesyan with some trouble but I wouldn’t expect her to cause any major upsets.
Prediction: Sakkari in 3
Damian:
Sakkari stopped her 4-match losing streak at the Slams by beating Nao Hibino in the opening round. She’s still among the most vulnerable of the top seeds, but she’s also playing with a ton of confidence right now and it won’t be easy to stop her. On a fairly quick hard court Avanesyan’s varied baseline game isn’t as threatening.
Prediction: Sakkari in 2
Jordan:
Sakkari had a very slow start in her opening match, but after winning the opening set 7-5, she went on to lose less than 10 points in a second set demolition. Avanesyan won after losing the first set in round one, but I doubt she will topple Sakkari. The Greek is unlikely to start as slowly again, and her power from the baseline will see her through this contest.
Prediction: Sakkari in 2
Coco Gauff vs Caroline Dolehide
Jack:
Nowadays, last year’s US Open champion rarely blinks on the court. Gauff was emphatic in her first round and I’ve no reason to doubt she’ll be emphatic in her second round, albeit against a slightly tougher opponent in Dolehide.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
Damian:
Dolehide is trying to push forward after that amazing run in Guadalajara and the Australian Open conditions present her with a solid opportunity to execute her game well. The problem is she’s running into Gauff. The World No. 4 might have her liabilities but she’s also got an extremely high floor and will track down everything Dolehide throws at her.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
Jordan:
It shows how high Gauff’s standards are that she won her opening round 6-3 6-0, but spoke after about starting too slowly for her liking. Compatriot Dolehide will be desperately hoping for a slow start from the US Open champion to give her some hope. Dolehide has improved a lot in recent months, but not enough to trouble Gauff when she is near her best.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
