Thursday at the 2023 WTA Monterrey Open will feature all four remaining second-round matches. Can top-seeded Caroline Garcia keep her campaign going against Nuria Parrizas-Diaz? Who do you think will come out on top?
WTA Monterrey Day 4 Predictions
Xinyu Wang vs Mayar Sherif
Head-to-head: First meeting
Mayar Sherift has had an abysmal record on hard courts recently, so even being in the second round is a bit of a surprise result for her. She defeated Camila Osorio, benefitting from her retirement at 7-6 4-2. The Egyptian’s extreme forehand grip doesn’t react well to being rushed and plenty of opponents can do that in faster conditions. Xinyu Wang is definitely among them, but the young Chinese talent tends to be inconsistent and will need to limit her error count to win here.
Prediction: Wang in 2
Tatjana Maria vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto
Head-to-head: First meeting
Elisabetta Cocciaretto has really enjoyed herself playing in Mexico in recent years, grabbing a semifinal in Guadalajara in 2021 and winning a 125K title in Tampico a few months ago. The Italian seems to know how to keep the ball in play in these altitude conditions and that already gets you a headstart in these unique conditions. Tatiana Maria is not an easy competitor to beat with her quirky style, though, and requires a very patient and clever plan, so it won’t be pleasant for Cocciaretto.
Prediction: Cocciaretto in 3
Elise Mertens vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse
Head-to-head: Mertens 2-0
These two have just battled in the qualifying draw at Doha with Elise Mertens taking it in three sets. Elena-Gabriela Ruse is definitely a bit under-ranked due to her injuries and remains a very dangerous player on her day. In Monterrey, she’s already taken out the Merida champion from last week, Camila Giorgi. However, we’re often witnessing that consistency is the key in (slight) altitude conditions and that should help out Mertens this week. Especially as she only gave four games to Diana Shnaider.
Prediction: Mertens in 3
Caroline Garcia vs Nuria Parrizas-Diaz
Head-to-head: First meeting
Caroline Garcia has never lost before the semifinals in Monterrey in three attempts, but she hasn’t appeared at this event since 2017. The Frenchwoman is definitely playing the best tennis of her life since June last year, but it’s still unclear whether she’ll reach these insane heights from 2022 in this campaign. Her appearance in Doha/Dubai ended with just one win, but that was also on the overall quality of the field and tough draws (Maria Sakkari, Madison Keys). Nuria Parrizas-Diaz is no pushover so she’ll need to be sharp here, but she should take it.
Prediction: Garcia in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
