Third-round action continues on Day 6 of the WTA BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. There will be a clash of Grand Slam champions as Aryna Sabalenka faces British wild card Emma Raducanu in Monday’s marquee match. We also predict the rest of the matches–featuring Coco Gauff–in a separate article. Who do you think will advance?
WTA Indian Wells Day 6 Predictions
Caroline Garcia vs Maria Sakkari
Head-to-head: Garcia 3-3 Sakkari
Maria Sakkari is playing under new coach David Witt who helped transform Jessica Pegula into a Top 5 mainstay. Their partnership began on a winning note as the Athenian defeated the highly talented Diana Shnaider in three sets. Caroline Garcia also needed three sets to see off Viktoriya Tomova after a wretched run of results. Sakkari fared poorly against Garcia in their first three head-to-head meetings. But the tables have turned. Last year, they met three times, and the Greek evened the scores by winning every contest and dropping one set from seven. The world #9 will hold the edge here.
Prediction: Sakkari in 2
Sloane Stephens vs Daria Kasatkina
Head-to-head: Stephens 4-1 Kasatkina
Daria Kasatkina snapped her three-match losing streak with a convincing straight-sets win over Oceane Dodin. Sloane Stephens, meanwhile, was equally impressive in beating world #22 Sorana Cirstea 6-0 7-5. This is a rematch from this year’s Australian Open, where Stephens won in three sets. Historically, this has been a very bad matchup for Kasatkina. Her use of topspin is well nullified by Stephens’ power. The American is also an excellent mover when she is up for it. One match win doesn’t signify the Russian is over the hump after her recent rough patch, so expect Stephens to preserve her near-perfect record in the series.
Prediction: Stephens in 3
Yuan Yue vs Caroline Dolehide
Head-to-head: first meeting
Just two spots separate these two players in the rankings. Yuan Yue has jumped on the conveyor belt of Chinese talent, making quite a splash on the WTA tour this season. Fittingly, she needed to overcome her more accomplished compatriot, Qinwen Zheng, to get here. It’s now seven wins on the trot for the 25-year-old from Yangzhou, who recently captured a maiden WTA title in Austin, Texas.
Caroline Dolehide, for her part, scored a big win over two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka. She was on a five-match losing streak coming to Indian Wells but has found her footing on home soil. It’s not a coincidence that she is relishing these conditions. The surface plays a lot faster this year, favoring Dolehide’s aggressive style and punchy serve. So, style over form will likely prevail.
Prediction: Dolehide in 3
Aryna Sabalenka vs Emma Raducanu
Head-to-head: first meeting
Saturday was a day of escape for the top seeds in Indian Wells. Four times, Aryna Sabalenka stared down the barrel against the tenacious Ohio native Peyton Stearns but was able to avert danger. It was a high-quality match and one which the world #2 called “one of the craziest” in her career. The onus is still on Sabalenka to play a lot better and avoid being in a similar predicament against a more proven player like Emma Raducanu.
The Briton earned a retirement win in her second-round match when her opponent, Dayana Yastremska, called it quits due to illness. Raducanu is still pursuing back-to-back wins in completed matches this year, and it would be a real statement if she could author an upset over the second seed. Sabalenka looks shaky, and it remains to be seen whether her movement will be affected by the ankle injury she sustained deep in the third set against Stearns. So, Raducanu might sense an opening but expect Sabalenka’s surplus in jaw-dropping power to see her home.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
