The WTA Cincinnati Masters may be beginning in unusual surroundings at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center rather than its traditional home in Mason, Ohio to New York due to travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. But there should still be plenty of entertaining action on day one in New York, with Venus Williams, who comes up against 16th seed Dayana Yastremska, amongst those in action. But who will advance?
WTA Cincinnati Masters Day One Predictions
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Elena Rybakina
Head-to-head: Alexandrova 1-0 Rybakina
This promises to be an entertaining clash. Ekaterina Alexandrova has not quite found her best tennis since the season restarted, losing disappointingly early in Palermo and Prague, but one suspects that she will come good sooner rather than later. But she has been handed a tough draw at the WTA Cincinnati Masters where she comes up against the ninth seeded Elena Rybakina in the first round, who was enjoying a career-best season before the coronavirus pandemic struck.
She began her campaign by making back-to-back finals in Shenzhen and Hobart, losing the former to none other than Alexandrova but winning in Hobart, before also reaching finals in St Petersburg and Dubai. But this will be her first match since the season restarted, with Rybakina electing not to play on the clay in Europe or in Lexington. Nonetheless, she has shown enough so far in 2020 to suggest that she will be able to hit the ground running at the WTA Cincinnati Masters.
Prediction: Rybakina in 3
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Alize Cornet vs Caty McNally
Head-to-head: first meeting
Caty McNally has perhaps been overlooked so rich is the WTA, and America in particular, in young talent. But although she has not achieved the sort of standout successes of her peers such as Sofia Kenin and Coco Gauff, aged just 18 she looks to be on the cusp of breaking into the top 100 and she has compiled a creditable 9-7 record so far this season. She was, however, outclassed by Ons Jabeur in the first round at the Top Seed Open in Lexington.
And she will likely need to be at her very best up against the experienced Alize Cornet. The Frenchwoman can be frustratingly inconsistent at times, but she is a wily competitor with a solid all-round game that has few obvious weaknesses for her opponents to exploit. Her serve is one and McNally would do well to return aggressively. But although the American has a bright future, expect today to belong to Cornet.
Prediction: Cornet in 3
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Karolina Muchova vs Ann Li
Head-to-head: first meeting
After a standout run at Wimbledon last season, where she reached the quarterfinals, Karolina Muchova struggled in the early weeks of 2020 and arrives at the WTA Cincinnati Masters with a less than inspiring record of 2-4 for the season. But one suspects that the Czech will have benefitted from the chance to refresh and reassess afforded by the lengthy break in the season caused by the coronavirus pandemic. And that could make her one to watch out for over the coming weeks.
She will certainly be the heavy favourite when she takes to the court against the USA’s Ann Li. Li has played some fine tennis this year, not least in reaching the second round at the Australian Open as a qualifier, but she remains rather inexperienced and lost in the first round in Lexington to world #196 Robin Anderson. Expect Muchova, whose all-court game ensures she is never an easy opponent to face, to prove too strong for the 20-year-old.
Prediction: Muchova in 2
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Coco Gauff vs Maria Sakkari
Head-to-head: first meeting
This is amongst the most intriguing of the first round matches at the WTA Cincinnati Masters. Gauff reminded the tennis world just what all the hype is about with a swashbuckling run to the semifinals at the Top Seed Open in Lexington in her first tournament since the restart, scoring notable wins over Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur. She was well-beaten in the semifinals by eventual champion Jennifer Brady, but it will surely have been a confidence building week all the same.
Maria Sakkari was rather less inspiring on her return in Palermo, where she lost in the first round to Kristyna Pliskova. Her performance in that match inspires little confidence in her ability to get the better of the in-form Gauff. The American has been able to draw errors from her opponents with impressive court coverage whilst also striking winners of her own. That has unsurprisingly been a winning combination and that should continue in the first round in New York.
Prediction: Gauff in 3
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