Making its return to the WTA Tour for the first time since 2019, the WTA 1000 event in Wuhan will feature many Top 10 players on Wednesday. Any points gained this week are crucial for the WTA Finals race. This set of predictions by LWOT features two top American players, Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro.
WTA Wuhan Day 3 Predictions
Anna Kalinskaya vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Head-to-head: Alexandrova 5-0
This should be a fascinating encounter. While Kalinskaya is the higher-ranked player in the matchup, she hasn’t been able to close out matches against Alexandrova in the past. Most recently, the pair played at the WTA 500 event in Tokyo last year, where Alexandrova won 7-5 in the third set. Meanwhile, in Wuhan, Kalinskaya looked arguably more solid than Alexandrova thus far. While Kalinskaya cruised to a 6-1 6-3 victory in her first-round match, Alexandrova’s form was up-and-down in a 6-1 4-6 6-4 win over Sofia Kenin. Look for Kalinskaya to snap the losing streak against Alexandrova in a close match.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 3
Emma Navarro vs Magdalena Frech
Head-to-head: Navarro 2-1
Navarro needs a couple of good weeks to maintain her WTA Race position, but her Beijing campaign last week wasn’t a great start. She lost 6-4 6-2 to Zhang Shuai in her opening match, while Frech also lost to Zhang in Beijing. Frech has played solid tennis over the past few weeks, highlighted by a WTA 500 title in Guadalajara, and she won her first-round match in Wuhan straightforwardly. Picking the upset here, as Frech should have nothing to lose, Navarro may feel the pressure of having fewer matches under her belt in China.
Prediction: Frech in 3
Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Veronika Kudermetova
Head-to-head: Kudermetova 2-1
This is another great match on Wuhan’s Wednesday order of play, with Kudermetova trying to claw her way back up the rankings after a difficult 2024 season. She leads the head-to-head, although Haddad Maia did just defeat Kudermetova 6-4 6-4 in South Korea last month. Haddad Maia will have to prepare for Kudermetova’s flat groundstrokes and big serve, but she should be set up given her last match against the big-hitting Madison Keys. Look for the Brazilian to win in a close match to reach the third round.
Prediction: Haddad Maia in 3
Jessica Pegula vs Anastasia Potapova
Head-to-head: Pegula 4-0
Potapova has been trying to make a big run in a WTA 1000 event as of late, but this matchup doesn’t bode well for the Russian. While Pegula had a rather lackluster Beijing event last week — losing 6-4 6-0 to Paula Badosa — she should have confidence in this matchup based on the head-to-head. While three of the pair’s four meetings went to a deciding set, Potapova struggled with her serve in her opening match and lost disappointingly in the first round of Beijing.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
Main Photo Credit: Jerry Lai – USA TODAY Sports
