After Venus Williams stunned 16th seed Veronika Kudermetova in the first round of the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati, she’ll look to continue that momentum against the dangerous Qinwen Zheng. Will she continue to turn back the clock? In addition, countless exciting second-round matches highlight an action packed Day 3 in Cincinnati. We predict them all, split between three other articles–featuring Iga Swiatek vs Danielle Collins, Elena Rybakina vs Jelena Ostapenko, and Coco Gauff vs Mayar Sherif. Who do you think will advance?
WTA Cincinnati Day 3 Predictions
Petra Martic vs Karolina Muchova
Head-to-head: Martic 1-0
A fun matchup is on the cards, as both players use variety and craft in their games. When two exciting games collide, it’ll absolutely result in some great rallies. Muchova rebounded for the first time since her finalist run at the French Open, taking out Beatriz Haadad Maia in a three-set grind. Muchova is also known to play some long rallies, so expect her to still have a lot in the tank. This matchup is definitely a toss-up, but Muchova has a slight edge in all the touch shots, such as her volleys and slice backhands. She’ll be able to target Martic’s variety with her own slicing and dicing, and should be able to set up lots of good shots with her great court positioning.
Prediction: Muchova in 3
Maria Bouzkova vs Elise Mertens
Head-to-head: 1-0 Bouzkova
Bouzkova continues to impress in 2023, taking out Irina-Camelia Begu in a straightforward win. Mertens possesses a somewhat similar style of play to Begu, but the Belgian is more reliable in the top portion of the rankings. Mertens was able to withstand a home-favorite challenge from Madison Keys, and I just feel she’ll have a little bit more confidence backing up a nice win. This match could come down to break point opportunities and of course the mentally taxing side of the sport. Finally, the two haven’t played in nearly nine years.
Prediction: Mertens in 3
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Qinwen Zheng vs Venus Williams
Head-to-head: First meeting
It’ll be interesting to see whether Venus can hold up stamina-wise for this match. She absolutely embodied stamina and grit in her win over Kudermetova, coming back from double-break deficits in each sets and winning 6-4 7-5. Qinwen Zheng relies on power and a huge forehand, but she can definitely hit lots of unforced errors as well. With the crowd behind her, look for Venus to continue her win streak. She’ll have to anticipate lots of powerful forehands launched cross-court from Zheng.
Prediction: Williams in 2
Main Photo Credit: Cara Owsley-USA TODAY Sports
