The programme of matches for Day 3 at the WTA Chicago Classic looks absolutely superb. Some of the top players may well be using this in preparation for Indian Wells but undoubtedly they will put on a good show here. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Shelby Rogers vs Bianca Andreescu and Elina Svitolina vs Amanda Anisimova. But who will come out on top?
WTA Chicago Day 3 Predictions
Aliaksandra Sasnovich vs Elena Rybakina
Head-to-head: Rybakina 1-0 Sasnovich
These two played only recently in the opening round of the US Open. It was quite a one-sided encounter with Elena Rybakina coming out on top comfortably for the loss of only five games. There has been little in the form of either player since that tournament to suggest things will turn around much for this encounter. Indeed, Aliaksandra Sasnovich has lost in the second round at her last two tournaments. With this being the case, one almost have to side with the Kazakh to progress.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
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Jessica Pegula vs Andrea Petkovic
Head-to-head: Pegula 1-1 Petkovic
There isn’t a lot to take out of the previous encounters between these two. One was nine years ago and the other was a clay court battle that bears little relevance to the conditions they will encounter in Chicago. Pegula has gone on to be the form player from these two. The American is in the prime of her career, at a career high ranking of #23, and definitely has the power to put the movement of the 34-year-old in trouble. Petkovic still has great capability, she won a title only in August (albeit on clay), but she may struggle with the Pegula game in this encounter.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
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Victoria Azarenka vs Hailey Baptiste
Head-to-head: first meeting
Hailey Baptiste is one of those rarest of tennis sights, an American clay-court specialist. The youngster looks to be far more at home on the natural surfaces and currently sports a losing record on hard. This is not a good position to be in when facing up against one of the best hard court players of the last couple of decades. Azarenka’s 71% win record on hard over the last couple of years suggests that she has recovered her best form in her early 30s and this should be a comfortable victory for the veteran.
Prediction: Azarenka in 2
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Marketa Vondrousova vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Head-to-head: first meeting
These two players carry exactly the same 25-18 win-loss record over the last year into this match. However, breaking it down into hard court form it is the Czech who shows that she is superior on this surface over the last year. Vondrousova has also won four of her last five and only lost narrowly in her defeats. Pavlyuchenkova has been predictably erratic. After decent runs at the Olympics and in the US Open she failed tamely in the events in between at Montreal and Ostrava. I wonder whether, at this stage of her career, that Pavlyuchenkova is trying to prioritise those bigger events, and with Indian Wells on the horizon, she may well see this as more of a tune-up than a tournament she really wants to win. With that in mind, Vondrousova looks the likelier winner here.
Prediction: Vondrousova in 3
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