The third day at the WTA 1000 event in Guadalajara promises to be the best yet. The Top 8 seeds play for the first time, having been given byes into the second round. There have been many withdrawals from Guadalajara. We at LWOT reported on these in two separate articles- this included Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff. But there are still many excellent players to watch. Caroline Garcia is one of these players, who faces a tricky first match in Mexico. Who do you think will advance to the next round?
WTA Guadalajara Day 3 Predictions
Magdalena Frech vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Head-to-head: Frech 2-1 Alexandrova
Frech has reached a career best of #66 in the rankings. She has an awkward style of play, evidenced by her two wins against Alexnadrova. But I believe conditions are against her here. Both her wins in this matchup came on clay, while Alexandrova won the other contest, which was on a quick indoor hard court. The courts at the WTA Guadalajara Open are faster than most tournaments. That should play into the hands of the big serving and hitting Alexandrova.
Prediction: Alexandrova in 2
Leylah Fernandez vs Elise Mertens
Head-to-head: Mertens 1-0 Fernandez
Mertens is a comfortable favourite going by the rankings. Yet Fernandez has been playing some good tennis lately, losing some tight matches to quality players. The latest of those came against Beatriz Haddad Maia in San Diego. The conditions also suit the Canadian, who is very adept at redirecting the pace from her opponent’s groundstrokes. Merttens did look very solid in her dominant opening-round win against Yanina Wickmayer. However, I am going for an upset here at the WTA Guadalajara Open in favour of Fernandez.
Prediction: Fernandez in 3
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Madison Keys vs Emma Navarro
Head-to-head: Keys 1-0 Navarro
It will be very interesting to observe Keys here. This is her first match back since that extremely tough loss in the US Open semifinal, where she served for the match. The 2017 US Open finalist played so much excellent tennis that she can be confident for the rest of the year, if she has avoided any mental scarring. Navarro comes into this one after a surprise run to the semifinal in San Diego last year. However, I do think the quick courts at the WTA Guadalajara Open mean that the hard-hitting of Keys will overwhelm her fellow countrywoman.
Prediction: Keys in 2
Caroline Garcia vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Head-to-head: Garcia 5-0 Sasnovich
Garcia desperately needs a good tournament. The last few months have been very difficult for the WTA Finals champion, who may not be able to defend that title unless her results improve quickly. But she has reasons to be positive here. Garcia has a dominant record against Sasnovich, and her opponent has also been struggling for wins herself lately. The amount of top players who have withdrawn means the Frenchwoman will not be presented with a better chance to go deep again in a big tournament this season. She should start that process here.
Prediction: Garcia in 2
Main Photo Credit: Sam Greene – The Enquirer – USA TODAY NETWORK
