There were several upsets on the third day at the WTA 1000 event in Doha. US Open champion Coco Gauff, three-time Grand Slam runner-up Ons Jabeur, and last year’s champion in Guadalajara Maria Sakkari all exited. Will there be more upsets on the fourth day? Four of the matches are predicted in this article, and we at LWOT also have a separate article with predictions for the other day 4 matches in Doha, including Iga Swiatek vs Ekaterina Alexandrova. Who do you think will advance to the quarterfinals?
WTA Doha Day 4 Predictions
Marketa Vondrousova vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Head-to-head: Vondrousova 2-0 Pavlyuchenkova
Pavlyuchenkova played very well against last year’s WTA Elite Trophy semifinalist Daria Kasatkina in the opening round, before reaching this stage after Marta Kostyuk retired after just three games in their contest. Vondrousova received a bye in the first round and then narrowly beat Greet Minnen in the second round. Last year’s Wimbledon champion was not particularly convincing in that match. However, her varied style of play is not the best matchup for Pavlyuchenkova, who thrives on rhythm from the baseline. It could be tight, but Vondrousova gets a minor edge.
Prediction: Vondrousova in 3
Karolina Pliskova vs Linda Noskova
Head-to-head: First meeting
It has been an incredible week for Pliskova. Since February 6th, she has won seven matches in a row to win her first title in over four years in Cluj-Napoca and reach the third-round in Doha. Both her triumphs in Qatar were also in long three-set battles. Recent Australian Open quarterfinalist Noskova also played a lengthy match to prevail against Maria Sakkari. Both players hit powerfully, which will help them shorten points and fight against fatigue. Overall, Noskova is the favourite to beat her Czech compatriot. Pliskova’s run has been incredible, but this might finally be one test too many.
Prediction: Noskova in 2
Victoria Azarenka vs Jelena Ostapenko
Head-to-head: Azarenka 4-0 Ostapenko
This is an absolutely fascinating matchup. Ostapenko has had an incredible start to the season. The former French Open champion has won two of her opening four tournaments in 2024. But who did she lose to at the events she did not win? Victoria Azarenka. The two-time Grand Slam champion thrives against a consistent pace, which Ostapenko provides. Yet, the Latvian gets a very minor edge to beat Azarenka for the first time nonetheless. Despite it being a difficult matchup for her, Ostapenko’s confidence just seems to be growing more and more, and I think she can overcome the formidable obstacle of Azarenka this time.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 3
Naomi Osaka vs Lesia Tsurenko
Head-to-head: Osaka 2-1 Tsurenko
Tsurenko got her first win against a Top 10 player in over five years against Ons Jabeur in the last round. Admittedly, the Tunisian struggled very badly, but it was still a great win for the Ukrainian. Osaka has played her best tennis since her comeback in Doha. She defeated Caroline Garcia and Petra Martic with two very good performances. Expect her to continue her run here. Tsurenko will not make things easy but Osaka is very likely to play much better than Jabeur did to prevail.
Prediction: Osaka in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey – USA TODAY Sports
