Day three at the WTA Hua Hin event in Thailand features four top 100 players, all of whom are coming against players ranked outside the top 100. But whilst these matches may not look competitive on paper, the reality may prove quite different and, as always, we here at LWOT are offering our predictions for all four matches. But who will come out on top?
WTA Hua Hin Day 3 Predictions
Linda Fruhvirtova vs Tamara Zidansek
Head-to-head: first meeting
It’s hard to believe that under two years ago Tamara Zidansek was playing in a Roland Garros semifinal. She is now ranked 132 in the world. Typically consistent from the baseline and equipped with a powerful forehand, the Slovenian hasn’t been able her ability into wins and, unfortunately for her, she’s up against one of the rising stars in the women’s game in the shape of the 17-year-old Linda Furhvirtova.
The Czech is fresh from a run to the second week in Melbourne where she pushed Donna Vekic to three sets in the round of 16. She picked up where she left off in the first round at the WTA Hua Hin Open, dismantling Bethanie Mattek Sands for the loss of only four games. More of the same and this should be a comfortable day at the office for Fruhvirtova.
Prediction: Fruhvirtova in 2
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Wang Xinyu vs Mirjam Bjorklund
Head-to-head: first meeting
Another first meeting between two players at the WTA Hua Hin Open. Mirjam Bjorkund’s first win on the main tour in over six months came on Monday against Lanlana Tararudee, a teenage wildcard ranked 365 in the world who she was expected to beat. Now up against a top 100 player the jump in quality will be huge and on a surface which hasn’t yielded her best results, it’s hard to see the Swede collecting another WTA win. Wang Xinyu is a very consistent performer and though she lacks the weaponry that some boast, she should have more than enough to get past Bjorklund.
Prediction: Wang in 2
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Jang Su-jeong vs Zhu Lin
Head-to-head: Zhu 1-0 Jang
The big question on the mind of tennis fans is whether last week’s run to the fourth round at the Australian Open was a one off for Zhu Lin or not. Playing unreal tennis to beat a top 10 player in Maria Sakkari she also then backed it up with a great performance (albeit in a losing effort) against two-time former champion Victoria Azarenka. The other question is, at 29, where was this tennis before? Things looked to already be going south again after going a set down in her opening match here but a quick recovery wrapped up a 4-6 6-3 6-0 win over her compatriot Wang Xiyu. This is a match where she needs to build on her good form and get it over quickly to be fresh for a potential quarterfinal against teenage sensation Fruhvirtova.
Prediction: Zhu in 2
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Anna Kalinskaya vs Lesia Tsurenko
Head-to-head: first meeting
The fourth seed is one of the favourites to win here this week but that’s not representative of her year so far. She failed to quality for Adelaide 1, lost in the second round of Adelaide 2 and was then beaten in the first rounnd at the Australian Open. For how much talent Anna Kalinskaya has, it’s been little short of a disastrous start to the year. Lesia Tsurenko, meanwhile, is not the force she once was and the end is surely nigh for the Ukrainian. That said, she does occasionally show flashes of her former self. But given how rare those performances are from Tsurenko though, it’s hard to look past Kalinskaya here.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 3
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