The opening day of the WTA Hong Kong Open was cut short by the weather. None of the scheduled main draw matches were played, and have been moved to the second day. We at LWOT have predictions for those contests- including Mirra Andreeva vs Dayana Yastremska and Wang Xiyu vs Katerina Siniakova. This article predicts the outcome of the other four matches on day two. Five-time Grand Slam finalist Victoria Azarenka is one of the players featured. Who do you think will progress to the second round?
WTA Hong Kong Day 2 Predictions
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Jana Fett
Head-to-head: first meeting
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is seeking a response to a disappointing Beijing Open. She lost very tamely to teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva. The manner of the defeat was surprising after good recent performances from the 2021 French Open finalist in Tokyo and at the US Open. This matchup is a good opportunity for Pavlyuchenkova to put last week behind her. Jana Fett did win an ITF event a few weeks ago in Spain, but the reality is the Croatian is barely ranked inside the Top 200. The 26-year-old is a battler and will leave everything out on the court. Nonetheless, expect Pavlyuchenkova’s firepower to be decisive in this WTA Hong Kong Open clash.
Prediction: Pavlyuchenkova in 2
Linda Fruhvirtova vs Peyton Stearns
Head-to-head: first meeting
Peyton Stearns has not managed a WTA main draw win since her excellent run at the US Open. However, it has still been a breakthrough season for the American, and the pressure is off her somewhat in the final weeks of the season. By contrast, Linda Fruhvirtova’s 2023 has been more mixed, although she have a good run to the semifinal in Ningbo a couple of weeks ago. Both women like to hit hard from the baseline, which should be a playing style well-suited to the conditions at the WTA Hong Kong Open. This could be a tight match. But Stearns’ intensity may just drop slightly until the end of 2023 after her good season. That could give the Czech a slight edge at the WTA Hong Kong Open.
Prediction: Fruhvirtova in 3
Wang Xinyu vs Elina Avanesyan
Head-to-head: Wang 2-0 Avanesyan
Wang Xinyu has performed impressively so far in the Asian hard-court season. She reached the semifinal of the Japan Women’s Open and then the round of 16 in Beijing, which included a comfortable win against Daria Kasatkina. The Chinese player is a heavy favourite to progress in this one. Elina Avanesyan is a strong clay-court specialist, with all 12 of her finals on the ITF circuit coming on the dirt. She did push Jelena Ostapenko very close at this year’s US Open. However, Wang is very likely to extend her winning record against Avanesyan at the WTA Hong Kong Open.
Prediction: Wang in 2
Victoria Azarenka vs Leylah Fernandez
Head-to-head: first meeting
Victoria Azarenka started the season very strongly with a run to the semifinal at the Australian Open, but she has largely struggled since then by her standards. A poor performance in the first round in Beijing last week against Magda Linette was the Belarusian’s latest setback. Leylah Fernandez has shown fleeting signs of her form from 2021, with a run to the quarterfinal in Guadalajara being an example of that. Linette troubled Azarenka with her consistent style of play, and Fernandez will play in a very similar manner. That feels like a bad matchup for the current inconsistent two-time Grand Slam champion. I am going with Fernandez to cause an upset at the WTA Hong Kong Open.
Prediction: Fernandez in 3
Main photo credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
