The second round of the Australian Open wraps up on Day 4. That means that there will be 16 women’s matches with competitors hoping to reach the third round. As always, we here at LWOT will share our thoughts on all the matches. We split up the matches between this and the other articles, featuring Sam Stosur vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Iga Swiatek vs Rebecca Peterson, and Garbine Muguruza vs Alize Cornet. Predicting today’s matches are Fraser Learmonth, Andy Watson, and Jim Smith.
Australian Open Day 4 Women’s Predictions
Elena Rybakina vs Shuai Zhang
Fraser:
Easy call here. Rybakina at her best plays Grand Slam winning tennis and she has been at or near that level over the last ten days. Zhang is a solid player, but she can’t live with the power of Rybakina provided the Kazakh’s radar is working.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Andy:
The Kazakh player had to endure far more nervy moments than I had anticipated against Diyas in the opening round. I still think she will win this match for the same reasons I thought she would beat Diyas, power & serve, but the Chinese player probably has a better chance than I would’ve thought on form.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Jim:
Elena Rybakina, perhaps not entirely surprisingly, made rather hard work of her first-round win over her compatriot Zarina Diyas, but pulled away in the decider. If she can maintain the sort of tennis she showed in that first set, she should be able to account for Zhang Shuai comfortably enough. Otherwise, it’s anyone’s guess.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Heather Watson vs Tamara Zidansek
Fraser:
Zidansek continues to play well in Australia and could well go deep again here. Watson is no easy out, but the Slovenian’s forehand has been a real weapon and allowed her to dictate points in most matches she’s played. This should be tight but I think Zidansek edges it.
Prediction: Zidansek in 3
Andy:
Watson showed some real grit and determination to progress from a tough position against Sherif. Zidansek put herself through the wringer by blowing six match points before eventually getting over the line against Arantxa Rus. I expect that this could also run deep but I believe that Zidansek is the better player so I have to stick with that as a prediction.
Prediction: Zidansek in 3
Jim:
Tamara Zidansek barely snuck into the second round, but edged out Arantxa Rus in a third-set tiebreak. She did the same to Heather Watson at the Adelaide International in the quarterfinals. Expect another close contest as a result, but Zidansek is the better player of the two and should get the win.
Prediction: Zidansek in 3
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Magda Linette vs Daria Kasatkina
Fraser:
Linette scored a solid win against Sevastova in her first match. However, Kasatkina is a big step up in terms of both talent and form in recent months when compared with the Latvian. I don’t think Linette will be able to handle the variety of shots Kasatkina will throw her way here.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 2
Andy:
I’m loving the way that Kasatkina is playing at the moment. Her skills are excellent and she can be a joy to watch when in form. Linette is a really good player on form too but her more workmanlike style should be meat and drink for a shotmaker like Kasatkina.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 2
Jim:
Magda Linette impressed in battling past Anastasija Sevastova in the first round. But Daria Kasatkina, especially when she is playing well, is a cut above. The Russian should prove too strong.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 2
Aryna Sabalenka vs Xiyu Wang
Fraser:
For a set and a half it looked like Sabalenka would be leaving Australia without a win in 2022. However, she righted ship and found enough glimpses of her best to put away a determined Storm Sanders. If she can find more of that tennis she should feature deep in the second week. Fortunately for her, another winnable match here gives her time to find her game and I expect that she will.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Andy:
Well, the Belarusian just about escaped a shock exit. The good news for Sabalenka is that the double faults went down per set from 6 to 4 to 2 in the final set. If she is able to continue this trend she will win this match.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Jim:
It’s not yet clear if Aryna Sabalenka’s confidence in her game is restored after the Belarusian endured a miserable start to the season. She did at least a few less double faults against Storm Sanders. If she can keep that trend going in the right direction, she should have the beating of Wang Xiyu. The Chinese will be full of confidence, however.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
