We are into Day 3 of WTA Linz as players look to transition from the first Slam of the season to the weekly grind of the WTA Tour. Wednesday in Linz is filled with six matches, including three in a separate article. In this piece, we at LWOT have the preview and prediction for three WTA Linz matches, including Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Jule Niemeier. But who do you think will advance?
WTA Linz Day 3 Predictions
Dayana Yastremska vs Erika Andreeva
Head-to-Head: Yastremska 1-0 Andreeva
23-year-old Ukranian Dayana Yastremska squares off against the sister of 16-year-old phenom Mirra Andreeva, Erika Andreeva. Erika is 19 years old and currently ranked just outside the top 100. Yastremska bested her in straight sets in the second round of Wimbledon qualifying last year and should feel very confident coming into this match, given her Australian Open success. Yastremska advanced out of qualifying all the way to the semifinals, taking out three seeded players along the way. I expect her to carry that confidence to WTA Linz.
Prediction: Yastremska in 2
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Katie Boulter
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Katie Boulter has been on fire to start the 2024 season. She is 6-2, with one of those losses coming to 2024 Australian Open runner-up Qinwen Zheng. Similarly, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is 6-3 on the young season. Both women have turned into terrific hardcourt players and should put on a ball-striking clinic on Wednesday. In what I expect to be a back-and-forth match, I give Boulter the slight edge. 2024 is set up to be a breakthrough year for the 27-year-old Brit.
Prediction: Boulter in 3
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Jule Niemeier
Head-to-Head: first meeting
No. 2 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova gets her WTA Linz campaign started with a Round of 16 matchup against Jule Niemeir. Alexandrova is looking to bounce back after a disappointing first-round exit at the Australian Open. Niemeir looked solid through two rounds of qualifying and during her first-round win over Anna Blinkova, but the power of Alexandrova presents a whole new challenge. Niemeir is a giant killer, but Alexandrova will have extra motivation after her Aussie Open letdown.
Prediction: Alexandrova in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports
