Though it’s a 250-level event, there are plenty of high-profile players in competition on Day 4 of the WTA Seoul Open. As always, we here look to make predictions on who will reach the quarterfinals picking winners in matches including Emma Raducanu, Magda Linette, and Jelena Ostapenko.
WTA Seoul Day 4 Predictions
Anna Blinkova vs Lulu Sun
Head-to-head: First meeting
Lulu Sun hasn’t yet broken out of playing lower-level tournaments on the tour. This is actually the third main draw appearance of the Swiss’s career so far so she may be feeling the pressure.
Anna Blinkova is hardly an experienced vet however – pressure may be a factor in her performance too. Blinkova possesses the significantly larger game of the two which should stand her in good stead in fairly quick conditions though especially against someone who arguably doesn’t have the weaponry to make a dent at the top of the game at this stage in her career.
It might take a while to get going but we’ll back the former top-100 player.
Prediction: Blinkova in 3
Magda Linette vs Kristina Mladenovic
Head-to-head: 1-1
Magda Linette’s run to the final in Chennai was coincidence. The Pole is playing great tennis consistently this year and deserves to be on the cusp of the top-50. Do not be surprised to see her make a similar run this week even if some of the matches prove a little tricky for her patient gamestyle.
This is unlikely to be one of those matches. Taking both players’ forms into account, Linette should be too much for Kristina Mladenovic whom nothing has come for easily over the past few months.
Prediction: Linette in 2
Emma Raducanu vs Yanina Wickmayer
Head-to-head: First meeting
Sometimes the nature of a player’s losses tells us more about their form than the tally of their losses. Yanina Wickmayer continues her comeback from the start of the year having gained plenty of momentum since February. Though she’s sustained four losses in her last eight matches, they were all kept pretty close – she’s also just beaten Chennai champion Linda Fruhvirtova to kick off her campaign in Seoul.
This won’t be easy for Emma Raducanu, who is still finding her feet on the tour. Though some of the pressure has been lifted since crashing out of her title defense in the first-round of the US Open, her last loss was a poor one against Friedsam and her last win over Uchijima was unconvincing having led 5-0 and 40-15 in the second set.
Raducanu is yet to rekindle last year’s form and Wickmayer has got the latent ability to capitalise – it’s just a question of whether or not the Belgian can execute.
Prediction: Wickmayer in 3
Jelena Ostapenko vs Anastasia Gasanova
Head-to-head: First meeting
Known for having arguably the biggest game on the tour, it’s tough to say whether Jelena Ostapenko thrives in slower or faster conditions. The former would give her time to set up her huge strikes but gives her opponents the opportunity to make her hit more balls whilst the latter can rush her strokes but gives Ostapenko the opportunity to land one-two punches.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, her results suggest the conditions don’t matter much to the huge strikes of the Latvian. Ostapenko is well and truly a player that thrives on form and her last few matches would suggest the former French Open champ is back to looking vulnerable. Anastasia Gasanova is starting to put together quality results so let’s be brave – Gasanova to squeak through a tight match.
Prediction: Gasanova in 3
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