The remaining seven WTA Cleveland round of 32 matches will be played on Day 2. The top seed and former French Open semifinalist Beatriz Haddad Maia gets her tournament underway against the 2021 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Viktorija Golubic. We at LWOT predict all the matches on the slate here and in a separate article, including Leylah Fernandez vs Ana Bogdan. Which players do you expect to progress to the next round?
WTA Cleveland Day 2 Predictions
Sara Sorribes Tormo vs Yafan Wang
Head-to-head: Sorribes Tormo 2-1 Wang
Wang has beaten three Grand Slam finalists during the North American hardcourt season. She overcame Karolina Pliskova, 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, and Sara Errani. Wang also pushed Elina Svitolina to three sets at the Cincinnati Open. Sorribes Tormo is the defending champion in Cleveland. However, this will be her first event appearance since the Olympics and her first hardcourt match since March. Expect long rallies between two players who rely on consistency but lack firepower. Wang’s greater match practice on hardcourts might prove to be the difference.
Prediction: Wang in 3
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro vs Varvara Gracheva
Head-to-head: First meeting
Bouzas Maneiro impressed in her two qualifying contests, dropping just six games across both matches. It is hard to know what to expect from Gracheva. That was shown in her Cincinnati Open battle against Iga Swiatek last week. She recovered from 0-6, 2-5 down to win the second set against the world No. 1 before falling away again from 2-2 in the third set. Bouzas Maneiro’s lack of firepower and heavy spin is a good matchup for Gracheva if she is at her best. The Frenchwoman likes time on her shots and playing against high-bouncing balls, but it is difficult to predict her matches with any certainty.
Prediction: Gracheva in 3
Greet Minnen vs Jaqueline Cristian
Head-to-head: Cristian 2-0 Minnen
Cristian has enjoyed the best season of her career, but most of her success earlier in the year was on clay. This will also be her first hardcourt match since March. Two weeks ago, Minnen hammered the 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-2, 6-2 in the National Bank Open opening round. Hopefully, the Belgian will be ready to compete in Cleveland after she retired from a match at a WTA-125 tournament last week. Although Cristian could be rusty, she has enjoyed this matchup in the past due to Minnen struggling against her heavy topspin forehand. That makes the Romanian a slight favorite to progress.
Prediction: Cristian in 3
Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Viktorija Golubic
Head-to-head: Golubic 4-0 Haddad Maia
The head-to-head between these two is slightly misleading. Their first three matches were before 2017 when Haddad Maia was still a very young player. Although she has developed a lot since then, 2024 has been a rough year for the Brazilian. It is not a bad time for Golubic to face Haddad Maia, and upsetting the top seed is possible. Overall, Haddad Maia’s ability to hit her left-handed forehand with a lot of spin into Golubic’s one-handed backhand might prove decisive in this matchup. The courts in Cleveland are bouncy, which will help to make that tactic effective.
Prediction: Haddad Maia in 2
Main Photo Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
