Caroline Wozniacki seeks to continue her impressive comeback to the sport on the third day at the WTA Charleston Open. But she will need to overcome Anhelina Kalinina, who beat her less than two weeks ago in Miami. That contest is one of four predicted in this article. We at LWOT predict the rest of the day’s matches in Charleston in two separate articles, including Sloane Stephens vs Leylah Fernandez and Danielle Collins vs Ons Jabeur.
WTA Charleston Day 3 Predictions
Taylor Townsend vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Head-to-head: Alexandrova 2-0 Townsend
Alexandrova starts the clay court season after a very good run to the semifinal in Miami. But this is a tough opening match for her. Townsend is always dangerous in front of home fans in the US. Her level often fluctuates during matches, but I am backing the American to upset Alexandrova at the WTA Charleston Open. Clay is not the Russian’s favorite surface and someone with her style of movement can sometimes take some time to adjust to a change in surface, making this a good time to play her.
Prediction: Townsend in 3
Shelby Rogers vs Veronika Kudermetova
Head-to-head: Rogers 2-1 Kudermetova
Kudermetova will undoubtedly be happy to switch to the green clay in Charleston. It has been a difficult start to the season for the former French Open quarterfinalist on hard courts and she also won the event in South Carolina in 2021. But she is likely to need a good performance to progress at the WTA Charleston Open. Rogers is in the early stages of her comeback from a long injury but she played very well to dismantle Claire Liu in the last round. Overall though, I think Rogers will lack the match sharpness to take out Kudermetova in conditions she enjoys.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 2
Elina Svitolina vs Daria Saville
Head-to-head: Svitolina 7-2 Saville
Saville fought through a long battle against Tamara Korpatsch to set up this meeting. That win will have been good for her confidence. However, she is unlikely to topple Svitolina. These two last played in 2019 but Svitolina usually managed to grind down the Australian in their previous encounters. The Ukrainian has since added more power to her game, while Saville is not quite the player she once was. Svitolina will need to be below her best to fall at the WTA Charleston Open.
Prediction: Svitolina in 2
Caroline Wozniacki vs Anhelina Kalinina
Head-to-head: Kalinina 1-0 Wozniacki
Kalinina managed an incredible comeback to beat Wozniacki in Miami, saving a match point in the process. On paper, this is actually a better matchup for her than that match. Kalinina usually plays her best tennis on clay, while Wozniacki has always had a preference for hard courts. But Wozniacki does like the green clay of Charleston slightly more than the red dirt, which bounces slightly less and is quicker. That is shown by Wozniacki being a three-time finalist and one-time champion at the WTA Charleston Open. The Dane was also impressive in the previous round and I have a feeling she will manage to get her revenge this time.
Prediction: Wozniacki in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
