The second day of tennis in Moscow sees most of the rest of the field take to the court. However, he top four seeds will only join the action on Wednesday. Like us, they are surely keeping an eye on how the first round unfolds with a view towards gauging their competition for the trophy. Monday saw several upsets, with Daria Kasatkina and Dayana Yastremska bowing out early doors. Given the quality of the field, it’s likely more upsets will occur as we head deeper into the tournament. With that in mind, we do our best to analyse who should move on in our WTA Kremlin Cup day 2 predictions.
WTA Kremlin Cup Day 2 Predictions
Irina Bara vs Tereza Martincova
Head-to-head: 1 – 0 Bara
Irina Bara leads the head-to-head here, but this is Tereza Martincova’s match to lose. The Czech is having a career year in 2021 and is a real threat on fast hard courts. She has great power off both wings and isn’t afraid to be aggressive. By contrast, Bara has hovered around the top 100 in the women’s game for ages by playing – and winning – a ton of matches on clay every year. She is outgunned here against a player full of confidence on a surface she isn’t great on. Martincova should move on relatively easy in this one.
Prediction: Martincova in 2
Embed from Getty Images
Ons Jabeur vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Head-to-head: 5 – 1 Alexandrova
The history of this matchup screams a win for Ekaterina Alexandrova here. However, all of their previous matches were in 2018 or earlier. Ons Jabeur is certainly not the same player she was then. The Tunisian has made history on several occasions in recent years and is an established name on the women’s tour now. Alexandrova is always very dangerous on fast, indoor hard courts – such as the ones in Moscow – given her flat, powerful groundstrokes. Still, to be able to unleash that power she must effectively navigate the variety of shots Jabeur will throw at her in this match. Even the most patient of players struggle to do that and Alexandrova often goes for broke early in points. That is a strategy that won’t do her any favours here unless she is red hot. Her recent for suggests she isn’t, so I’m taking Jabeur to advance here.
Prediction: Jabeur in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Veronika Kudermetova vs Oksana Selekhmeteva
Head-to-head: First meeting
Not much is known about Oksana Selekhmeteva on the WTA tour. However, at just 18 years of age the teen is already inside the top 250 in the women’s game. That suggests there is real talent in her game just waiting to be displayed on the big stage. Veronika Kudermetova is a very tough first match for the young star, but she should feel more comfortable given the tournament is in here home country. If Kudermetova can replicate her form from the first half of this year then she should win this easily. However, the big-serving Russian has struggled for form in recent months and is there for the taking if Selekhmeteva can overcome her nerves. This should be a fun watch and I suspect another upset when the dust settles.
Prediction: Selekhmeteva in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Simona Halep vs Anastasia Potapova
Head-to-head: 1 – 0 Halep
Simona Halep is the better player here. The only problem is she hasn’t played much tennis at all in the last few months. A calf injury kept her out of most of the US hard court swing. She then lost early at Indian Wells and is at risk of falling out of the top 10 at year end for the first time since 2013. She needs a few good results to halt her tumble and climb back up the rankings. However, Anastasia Potapova is a tricky first round match and won’t make things easy for the two-time Grand Slam champion. If Halep is moving freely and can play her counterpunch game as effectively as usual she should move on. However, if she is off her game she may well fall at the first hurdle here in Moscow. I think the former is more likely. Nonetheless, this should be a tight match and will likely go the distance.
Prediction: Halep in 3
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
