Day 4 of the WTA Bad Homburg Open features the reigning Wimbledon champion, Iga Swiatek, and the reigning French Open champion, Mirra Andreeva, for the first time this week. As always, we at LWOT will offer predictions for all five second-round matches, but which players will advance to the quarterfinals?
WTA Bad Homburg Day 4 Predictions
Anna Kalinskaya vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse
Head-to-Head: Kalinskaya 1-0 Ruse
Anna Kalinskaya got her first win at the WTA Bad Homburg Open as she easily defeated qualifier Sinja Kraus. Kalinskaya had a good French Open and will be looking to make a deep run at Wimbledon as well. Every match win this week would improve her form on this surface, but first she has to deal with an in-form opponent in the second round. Elena-Gabriela Ruse upset the recently crowned Berlin Open champion, Linda Noskova, in straight sets. It was Ruse’s third career win over a top-10 player, and she is playing some great tennis at the moment. However, Ruse took advantage of a tired opponent in the first round, and it won’t be the case against Kalinskaya.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 3
Qinwen Zheng vs Clara Tauson
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Taking part in this tournament for the first time, Qinwen Zheng overcame a tough battle against Solana Sierra to advance to the second round. It wasn’t a high-quality match, but Zheng won’t mind it and will look to build on the 13 aces she hit in the match. Clara Tauson got a much-needed victory in the first round over Diana Shnaider to snap her 7-match losing streak. This must have been a big relief for Tauson and should help her get back on track. I am not confident in either player, but I will go with Tauson based on the first-round performance.
Prediction: Tauson in 3
Karolina Muchova vs Irina-Camelia Begu
Head-to-Head: Muchova 2-2 Begu
Karolina Muchova lost early in Berlin last week, but she didn’t play a bad match; it was just the brilliance of Madison Keys that prevailed. Muchova is the #4 seed this week and is among the contenders to win the title. Irina-Camelia Begu almost lost against Venus Williams and must improve her level significantly to trouble the Czech player. This is their first meeting on grass, and Muchova should win comfortably.
Prediction: Muchova in 2
Mirra Andreeva vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Head-to-Head: Andreeva 0-1 Alexandrova
#2 seed Mirra Andreeva will play her first match since winning the French Open and will look to continue the momentum. However, it’s never easy transitioning from clay to grass, and she might need some time to get going. Ekaterina Alexandrova avenged her Strasbourg loss to Ann Li and looks to be finding some form after some tough months this season. If she plays like she is capable of, Andreeva will have a hard time dealing with it. I would still back Andreeva’s momentum and confidence to get through this.
Prediction: Andreeva in 3
Iga Swiatek vs Emma Navarro
Head-to-Head: Swiatek 1-1 Navarro
Top seed Iga Swiatek will play her first match on grass and will be looking to repeat last year’s result. It all started here for Swiatek as she reached the final, which served as a great momentum builder for The Championships. However, she has a tough opening match against Emma Navarro, who is in great form and plays some of her best tennis at WTA Bad Homburg. The one downside for Navarro could be the energy levels, having spent a lot of time on court last week. I expect Swiatek to get more out of her serve on grass and be ruthless on return.
Prediction: Swiatek in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – Imagn Images
