The defending WTA Austin, ATX Open, champion, Yue Yuan is already eliminated in the first round which means a new winner will emerge this week. This article features the #2 seed and one of the favourites for the title, Diana Shnaider who will face the qualifier, Tatiana Prozorova. As always, we at LWOT will offer predictions for every match on the slate for day 2. But which players will advance to the next round?
WTA Austin Day 2 Predictions
Greet Minnen vs Sijia Wei
Head-to-Head: first meeting
27-year-old Greet Minnen enters this match as a slight favourite against the qualifier Sijia Wei, who has been in great form at the ITF level and has managed to qualify for the main draw of every tournament she has played this season. The Chinese player will be looking to get her first tour-level win of the season. Minnen is the more experienced player but I won’t be surprised if she loses this one.
Prediction: Wei in 3
Sorana Cirstea vs Laura Siegemund
Head-to-Head: Cirstea 2-1 Siegemund
Sorana Cirstea played some great tennis in Dubai last week which should give her a much-needed confidence boost after a poor start to the season. Despite reaching the quarterfinals, Cirstea lost valuable points. This has resulted in Cirstea dropping outside the top 100 for the first time since 2019. She will look to make a deep run and get back inside the top 100. However, it won’t be easy as she has a very tough first-round match against Laura Siegemund, who plays with a lot of variety. I still expect Cirstea to come through this match due to her superior form.
Prediction: Cirstea in 3
Diana Shnaider vs Tatiana Prozorova
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Diana Shnaider lost a close match to Linda Noskova in Dubai. This was Shnaider’s fourth three-set loss this season. She is the #2 seed this week and a deep run will help her going into the big tournaments next month. Tatiana Prozorova dispatched Rebecca Marino in the second round of qualifying and extended her win streak to 12 in all competitions. She is in great form and can cause a big upset against Shnaider. However, Shnaider has the advantage of being much more experienced despite being the younger of the two and that can play a big role, especially in a close match.
Prediction: Shnaider in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
