Round 1 action continues on Wednesday in Cincinnati, with 18 WTA matches scheduled. As always, we here at LWOT offer our thoughts on all of them. Who do you think will advance?
WTA Cincinnati Day 2 Predictions
Camila Osorio vs Moyuka Uchijima
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
Moyuka Uchijima is on an eight-match winless streak, with her performances sharply declining since she reached the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open in late April, which propelled her to a career-high ranking of #47 just three months ago. She faces Camila Osorio, who was also enduring a losing streak but managed to end her four-match winless run in Montreal last week by defeating Bernarda Pera. However, her return to winning form was brief, as she lost to Dayana Yastremska in Round 2, despite winning the first set.
While Uchijima is struggling to secure a win and appears to be lacking confidence, this is a good spot for the Japanese against an opponent who prefers the dirt.
Prediction: Uchijima in 3
Yuliia Starodubtseva vs Leolia Jeanjean
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
Yulia Starodubtseva arrives in Cincinnati following a third-round run in Montreal, which included an impressive 6-1, 6-1 win against 21st seed Magdalena Frech. Despite this, Starodubtseva has advanced past the third round only once this year, reaching the round of 16 at the end of April.
In her first-round matchup, she will face qualifier Leolia Jeanjean, who made it into the main draw by defeating Carol Zhao and Rebeka Masarova. Her most notable achievements have come on the ITF circuit, where she has reached three finals but has not secured a title. This will be their first encounter on the WTA Tour. However, they previously faced each other during the qualifying rounds of the Merida Open earlier this season, where Jeanjean won decisively 6-1, 6-4. However, Starodubtseva has improved slightly since then and demonstrated her potential last week in Canada, making her the favourite to prevail.
Prediction: Starodubtseva in 3
Polina Kudermetova vs Ella Seidel
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
After a remarkable start to the year where she reached the final of the Brisbane International, the 22-year-old has faced challenges since then. Polina Kudermetova is currently struggling and is on a nine-match losing streak, with her last win being in March against Irina-Camelia Begu in Charleston. Recently, she lost in the first round to Suzan Lamens in Montreal, despite winning the second set.
She will aim to break her losing streak against Ella Seidel in their first-round match in Cincinnati. The 20-year-old German successfully navigated the qualifying rounds, achieving victories over Varvara Lepchenko and Priscilla Hon. While she usually plays on the ITF circuit, she also made it to the quarterfinals in Cluj on the WTA Tour, winning four consecutive matches (including qualifying) before being defeated by Anastasia Potapova.
This match presents an opportunity for Kudermetova to secure a win after such a long drought, even though the German will have a lot to say about that.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 3
Barbora Krejcikova vs Alycia Parks
Head–to–Head: Krejcikova 1 vs 0 Parks
This matchup is highly unpredictable, as Krejcikova has shown little to no form on hard courts, only participating in one tournament on this surface all year due to injury. Parks has achieved some victories on hard courts, which somewhat masks her overall modest year with 19 losses out of 33 matches. Her serve remains a significant asset, despite her lack of stability and consistency in her baseline play. Parks can be dominant in certain moments, and we should expect this given that neither player has demonstrated consistent steadiness or exceptional performances.
With Krejcikova still working to regain her rhythm after limited matches this season, Parks looks like she can win a set and the match.
Prediction: Parks in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
