Wednesday at the National Bank Open will be an exciting day of action for fans to witness, with many players on the WTA Tour beginning their campaigns for a prestigious WTA 1000 trophy in Toronto. LWOT predicts some of the matches on the schedule, with this set of matches featuring recent Citi Open champion Paula Badosa.
WTA Toronto Day 2 Predictions
Caroline Dolehide vs Amanada Anisimova
Head-to-head: 1-1
This early afternoon battle is a rematch from just last week in Washington D.C. for the Citi Open. Dolehide won that match 7-6 (5) 6-1 in a quarterfinal, and she’s arguably in better form compared to her opponent. Dolehide tends to play well in fast conditions like Toronto, while Anisimova has played fewer matches throughout the season. I like Anisimova’s changes to make this match a lot closer–she’ll likely employ different strategies to break down Dolehide’s game–but Dolehide should have enough to win this in a close match.
Prediction: Dolehide in 3
Diana Shnaider vs Harriet Dart
Head-to-head: First meeting
This should be an interesting encounter, mainly because of the strange circumstances surrounding it. Shnaider benefited from a slew of tournament withdrawals and ranked 24th in the world, she’s now a Top 16 seed with a solid draw to go deep in the event. Shnaider just recently came off a silver medal at the Olympics last week. Dart injured herself in a qualifying match against Louisa Chirico and was taken off the court via wheelchair — she was later granted a lucky loser spot and shook off many injury concerns by playing doubles on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see whether Dart holds up physically, but Shnaider has more weapons compared to the Brit. Shanider should win this straightforwardly.
Prediction: Shnaider in 2
Cristina Busca vs Yue Yuan
Head-to-head: First meeting
Yuan is having the best season of her career, currently ranked close to her career-high of No. 36 in the world, She has an impressive 58% win record on hard courts in her career, while Busca’s record is at 33%. Although the Spaniard has had a solid 2024 herself, Yuan should have the edge based on experience on the faster courts. Busca’s game translates more to clay courts, and she’s 3-5 on tour since the French Open.
Prediction: Yuan in 2
Paula Badosa vs Clara Tauson
Head-to-head: 1-1
This should be a big-hitting clash, with Badosa coming off a big title at the Citi Open last week, a WTA 500 event. Tauson beat the Spaniard en route to her first career title in early 2021, but she’s struggled on tour lately with injuries and inconsistent form. While Badosa has also struggled with injury in past years, last week seemed to mark a possible turning point for the former World No. 2. Badosa may struggle with the transition to a new tournament after a title, and Tauson won’t make this easy with her offensive tennis. However, the Spaniard’s good form should be enough to get her into the second round.
Prediction: Badosa in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
