The second-round matches will start on Day 3 of the WTA 1000 tournament in Doha, and the best players in the world will be in action. This article features the reigning Australian Open champion, Elena Rybakina, who faces a stern challenge against Xinyu Wang. As always, we at LWOT will offer predictions for every match on the slate, but who will advance?
WTA Doha Day 3 Predictions
Camila Osorio vs Katerina Siniakova
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Qualifier Camila Osorio came back from a set down to defeat Emma Raducanu and get her first tour-level win of the season. Raducanu retired in the third set as she did not look physically fit. Osorio’s title run at the WTA 125 tournament in Manila has helped her confidence after three consecutive losses to start the season, and she looks in fine touch now. However, she has an extremely tough second-round match against Katerina Siniakova, who dismantled Clara Tauson in the first round. Kasatkina is showing promise in her singles career, and I am backing her to win this.
Prediction: Siniakova in 3
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Jelena Ostapenko
Head-to-Head: Alexandrova 4-5 Ostapenko
This should be a great match between two players capable of playing lights-out tennis when they are on. Both these players had a great run at this tournament last year and lost to the same player. Jelena Ostapenko was a set and break down against Anastasia Zakharova but managed to turn around the match and win in three sets. Ostapenko has defeated Alexandrova in their last four encounters, but she is not playing anywhere close to her best right now, which is required to beat a top-10 player.
Prediction: Alexandrova in 3
Elena Rybakina vs Xinyu Wang
Head-to-Head: Rybakina 2-0 Wang
#2 seed Elena Rybakina will step on the court for the first time since winning the Australian Open, and she has to be on her game rightaway to fend off a tough challenge in the form of Xinyu Wang, who is playing some of the best tennis of her career. Performing well after winning a huge title is never easy, but Rybakina is an experienced player and should be good to go.
Prediction: Rybakina in 3
