Elena Rybakina reached the semifinals the last time the WTA Tour visited Montreal two years ago. Now coming off a semifinal appearance in Washington, the No. 9 seed seems to be well-positioned for another deep run as she’s looking to grab her second title of the season. But can she make light work of Hailey Baptiste to kick off her campaign in Canada? Who do you think will come out on top, as day 3 action continues in Montreal.
WTA Montreal Day 3 Predictions
Marie Bouzkova vs Diana Shnaider
Head-to-head: 1-1
Prague champion Marie Bouzkova didn’t have much time to get across the ocean, but that didn’t stop her from defeating Moyuka Uchijima in the opening round. It will be an interesting clash against Diana Shnaider as the Russian was expected to have a much better season than what she’s doing right now. But getting an average of one win per event won’t get her further than she was last year. She’s probably too talented for this patch of mediocrity to continue and Bouzkova could be getting tired.
Prediction: Shnaider in 2
Marta Kostyuk vs Marketa Vondrousova
Head-to-head: 1-1
After a few promising performances on grass (especially when she took the WTA 500 title in Berlin), it seems like Marketa Vondrousova’s finally healthy enough to bring something close to her best for a few tournaments straight. She needed it in the opening-round comeback win against Alexandra Eala. Considering Marta Kostyuk is slumping right now and hasn’t won a match since Rome, the Czech is the favorite to keep going here with her intelligent brand of tennis.
Prediction: Vondrousova in 2
Veronika Kudermetova vs Olga Danilovic
Head-to-head: Kudermetova 1-0
Veronika Kudermetova crushed Olga Danilovic at an ITF event six years ago, but the Serbian has improved a lot since and they now find themselves at a similar ranking around the Top 40. It’s tough to predict much with Kudermetova being so aggressive and basically an all-or-nothing player. Danilovic brings a more complete game to the court, but the conditions in Montreal could be more beneficial to the game of the Russian.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 3
Elena Rybakina vs Hailey Baptiste
Head-to-head: First meeting
Elena Rybakina was the favorite to win in Washington last week, but suffered a defeat to Leylah Fernandez in a semifinal thriller. The Kazakh could have used a confidence boost with her game not declining as much as some of the results would suggest. She’s not defending much in the second half of the year and could use it as an opportunity to gain some ranking spots back. Not the easiest opener here against a solid, improving player and a good competitor.
Prediction: Rybakina in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
