The United Cup action continues as we get into the Australian summer swing and the lead-up to the Australian Open. With all teams now in action, the group stages are beginning to take shape and as always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match, including Casper Ruud vs Thiago Monteiro and Hubert Hurkacz vs Alexander Bublik. But who will come out on top?
United Cup Day 4 Predictions
Petra Kvitova vs Laura Siegemund
Head-to-head: Kvitova 2-0 Siegemund
Kicking off the day session at the Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney will be the # 1 women’s match between the Czech Republic and Germany. Petra Kvitova began her season with a very strong straight-set win over world #3 Jessica Pegula. That was the Czech veteran’s best win in Australia since 2020, indicating a potentially strong start to the season for Kvitova. Laura Siegemund, meanwhile, enters in the #1 spot with her protected ranking, now 34, and ranked outside the Top 150. The German can be a tricky player on her day, but in her current form Kvitova should be winning easily.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
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Tomas Machac vs Oscar Otte
Head-to-head: first meeting
Tomas Machac’s participation in this match is questionable as he suffered an ankle injury after a fall that forced him to retire from his opening match against Frances Tiafoe. The Czech is a talented player on the rise but we could see Dalibor Svrcina instead or a hampered version of Machac. Oscar Otte found little consistency on the main tour last year outside of the grass season but has the game to beat either opponent.
Prediction: Otte in 2
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Harriet Dart vs Paula Badosa
Head-to-head: Dart 2-0 Badosa
A very intriguing match-up with a big gulf in rankings but a positive head-to-head record for the lower-ranked player in Harriet Dart. The Brit started her United Cup with a solid 6-4 6-4 win over Maddison Inglis after Ajla Tomljanovic’s withdrawal due to injury. Dart’s first win over Paula Badosa came at an ITF back in 2018 but more importantly, the world #98 defeated the Spaniard at the Billie Jean King Cup in Glasgow just a couple of months ago.
Dart has shown that her level rises in team competitions and it will be interesting to see Badosa try and solve the problem. The former #2 had a bit of a regression in 2022 but did very well in Australia last year, winning Sydney and reaching the second week in Melbourne. The lack of home crowd support for Dart with more favorable conditions for Badosa makes me believe the Spaniard will exact her revenge here.
Prediction: Badosa in 2
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Dan Evans vs Pablo Carreno Busta
Head-to-head: Carreno Busta 1-0 Evans
Dan Evans performed very well at the ATP Cup last year, pulling out wins over the likes of Denis Shapovalov and John Isner but did not get off to the same start this season, losing to Jason Kubler in his 2023 opener. Pablo Carreno Busta also ripped through the #2 players at the ATP Cup last season, albeit against weaker opposition before getting to the second week of the Australian Open. The Spaniard can certainly produce the same level of tennis as Kubler, who defeated Evans though I suspect the Brit will be more up for this challenge and try to draw energy from the crowd, which might be more on his side here. Carreno Busta won their previous meeting in Montreal last season, defeating Evans in the semifinals before winning his first Masters 1000 title. Carreno Busta is still the favorite for me but I expect a good battle.
Prediction: Carreno Busta in 3
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