Day 5 of the WTA Cincinnati Open sees Iga Swiatek in action along with several other top seeds in the women’s draw. The Polish superstar is undoubtedly keen to get back to winning ways with a title here. However, she will face stiff competition from the likes of Anett Kontaveit and Ons Jabeur. Thursday promises to be an incredible day of tennis across both draws. We cover four of the women’s matches in this set of WTA Cincinnati, but be sure to look out for our other prediction sets covering the rest of Thursday’s action.
WTA Cincinnati Open Day 5 Predictions
Elena Rybakina vs Alison Riske
Head-to-head: First meeting
Elena Rybakina has emerged as a serious contender for major titles on the WTA Tour after her triumph at Wimbledon last month. She has the power and quality of serve to be a real threat on hard courts and will be hard to stop in Cincinnati. Alison Riske is a solid all-round player who can give players trouble with her competitive drive and consistency. However, she will struggle to live with the power Rybakina generates and will need a few errors in her favour to have a chance in this one.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Aryna Sabalenka vs Shelby Rogers
Head-to-head: 1 – 0 Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka remains a bit of an enigma on the WTA Tour. her effortless power and ruthless first serve make her unstoppable when on song. However, a complete collapse in her second serve game and the mental toll that takes when it happens make her vulnerable to shock upsets. Shelby Rogers is the kind of player who will capitalise on that fragility if given the chance. The American is in superb form and ready to make another impressive run here in Cincinnati. She looks like a good call for an upset and I’m going to give her the edge in this one.
Prediction: Rogers in 3
Veronika Kudermetova vs Ajla Tomljanovic
Head-to-head: 2 – 1 Kudermetova
Both of these players have shown flashes of brilliant tennis this year and this could be a brilliant match to watch. Veronika Kudermetova has a better serve but is more prone to errors off the ground. Ajla Tomljanovic can match the Russian for power and this could well be decided by who hits more winners. Kudermetova has long had the tools to be one of the better players in women’s tennis. A good run in a big tournament like this may well give her the confidence she needs to take the next step. Expect her to find a way through a tough match in this one.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 3
Iga Swiatek vs Madison Keys
Head-to-head: 2 – 0 Swiatek
This is a pretty straightforward call to make. Swiatek is the best player in women’s tennis by some distance and has won both of her previous encounters with Madison Keys. Granted, the Polish superstar hasn’t been at her best in her last few tournaments, but that means she is due another run of excellence and there’s no better way to start than with a WTA 1000 title in Cincinnati. This should be a great match to watch if Keys can serve well and finds her range off the ground. However, I expect Swiatek’s power and court craft to be too much for the American in the end.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
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