A fantastic day 4 is in store for the Western & Southern Open, with all eight third-round WTA Cincinnati matches scheduled. While rain may interrupt parts of play towards the evening, there are plenty of exciting matches that will be completed. LWOT offers insight into all of these matches, with this piece highlighting World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka and World No. 8 Maria Sakkari. The other section of the draw, highlighted by Iga Swiatek vs Qinwen Zheng can be found here.
WTA Cincinnati Day 4 Predictions
Marie Bouzkova vs Jessica Pegula
Head-to-head: Bouzkova 3-2
Pegula got through a tricky opening test against Martina Trevisan, with the Italian making it tougher than many fans expected. Bouzkova does play similar to Trevisan in that she relies on counterpunching and defense. Yet, with the home crowd, Pegula should make it through. Pegula and Bouzkova tend to combine for some epic rallies.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
Aryna Sabalenka vs Daria Kasatkina
Head-to-head: Sabalenka 3-2
Tennis style wise, it would seem that Sabalenka would be able to thrive in this rivalry with her power. But, Kasatkina tends to do well forcing errors from the big-hitting Belarusian. Sabalenka definitely struggled in her win over Ann Li, so this should be another grind of a tennis match. All eyes should be on Sabalenka’s serve, as Kasatkina returns well and will certainly take advantage of a myriad amount of double faults.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Donna Vekic vs Ons Jabeur
Head-to-head: Jabeur 3-1
Jabeur did not play well in her opening match against Kalinina, yet nevertheless fought from 5-1 down in the third to win. Vekic played well to take out two-time Cincinnati champion Victoria Azarenka, and all signs seem to point for Vekic to continue her momentum. Going for the upset on this one.
Prediction: Vekic in 3
Maria Sakkari vs Karolina Muchova
Head-to-head: Muchova 1-0
Our final prediction for the WTA Cincinnati features two players that are no stranger to one another. This is a rematch from the 2023 French Open, where Muchova took out the Greek 7-6 (5) 7-5. Sakkari impressed in her three-set win against Cirstea, especially with the Romanian’s high quality form as of late. With motivation and her fiery attitude, I feel that the Greek will continue her solid run.
Prediction: Sakkari in 3
Main Photo: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
