10 intriguing first-round matches are scheduled on day two at the WTA Brisbane International. As always, we here at LWOT will offer predictions for every match on the slate, including Marketa Vondrousova vs Magdalena Frech, but who will advance in Brisbane?
WTA Brisbane Day 2 Predictions
Anna Bondar vs Cristina Bucsa
Head-to-head: first meeting
Anna Bondar came through a tough qualifying draw and will arrive at this match with confidence. This is her debut in Brisbane, but her solid baseline game can cause some problems for Cristina Bucsa, who enters 2026 at her career-high ranking after a strong run of results at the back-end of 2025. Rust should not be a factor for Bucsa who should have enough to get past Bondar.
Prediction: Bucsa in 3
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Ashlyn Krueger vs Zhang Shuai
Head-to-head: Krueger 1-0 Zhang
The 21-year-old Ashlyn Krueger enters directly into the main draw with a strong record in Australia, having reached quarterfinals in Brisbane and Adelaide early in 2025. Krueger has a big serve and groundstrokes, which can intimidate opponents. Zhang Shuai battled through qualifying with gritty three-set wins in both matches. She is a former top-25 player, but her recent seasons have been inconsistent. I am backing the American player to win this one.
Prediction: Krueger in 3
Dayana Yastremska vs Talia Gibson
Head-to-head: first meeting
Dayana Yastremska brings explosive baseline hitting, a big serve, and aggressive play to the medium-fast Brisbane hard courts. She enters this match aiming to rebound from a late-2025 dip and build momentum for the Australian swing. However, her record is extremely poor at this tournament and playing a local player might be a big challenge. Back the Ukrainian to find her level and win this match.
Prediction: Yastremska in 3
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Anna Kalinskaya vs Tereza Valentova
Head-to-head: first meeting
Former world #11 Anna Kalinskaya had a dip in 2025 and will be looking to make a solid start to the new season. She has a good game for hard courts and can go toe-to-toe with anyone on her day. 18-year-old Tereza Valentova started the 2025 season well outside the top 200 and ended ranked 60th in the world with the Czech prodigy reaching the final in Osaka late in the season, which accounted for her largest jump in the rankings. She has an aggressive game style, and Kalinskaya will need to play at her best and use her experience to win this. But if the Russian does play at her best, or even close to her best, she should have the edge.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 3
Karolina Pliskova vs Hailey Baptiste
Head-to-head: Baptiste 2-0 Pliskova
The 33-year-old former world #1 and three-time Brisbane champion Karolina Pliskova returns from a long injury layoff. Pliskova’s game is well-suited to these courts, but returning to the main tour after a long time won’t be easy, and it might take her some matches to get into rhythm. Hailey Baptiste had her most productive season in 2025 and is the favourite to win this match if she starts strongly.
Prediction: Baptiste in 2
Main photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
