The rest of the WTA Round of 32 action is completed on day 6 in Madrid. This includes last week’s Stuttgart champion, Elena Rybakina, attempting to continue her positive clay-court form. As always, we at LWOT predict all the matches taking place, but which players do you think will win?
WTA Madrid Day 6 Predictions
Yulia Putintseva vs Caroline Dolehide
Head-to-Head: First meeting
It is not a surprise to see Putintseva playing well in Madrid. She performed very strongly during the North American swing on hard courts, but her game is even better suited to clay. Expect many long rallies against Dolehide, with both players being exceptional athletes. The American may need to be more aggressive than usual since it is very difficult to outmaneuver Putintseva on the dirt. Overall, the Kazakhstani’s consistency right now is likely to take her to victory.
Prediction: Putintseva in 3
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Daria Kasatkina
Head-to-Head: Kasatkina 4-2 Pavlyuchenkova
Kasatkina produced a trademark performance in the previous round. She trailed Cristina Bucsa 5-7 2-5 but dug her way back to triumph 5-7 7-6 6-3. Pavlyuchenkova did beat her compatriot this year in Doha, although Kasatkina was impacted by having to play the day after her Abu Dhabi final against Elena Rybakina. Pavlyuchenkova is dangerous when she finds her range, but Kasatkina is the favourite to prevail this time. On clay, her heavy topspin shots can keep the ball out of Pavlyuchenkova’s strike zone, allowing Kasatkina to then extract errors with her superior movement.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 2
Ashlyn Krueger vs Sara Bejlek
Head-to-Head: Krueger 1-0 Bejlek
Both players enjoyed outstanding victories in the last round. Bejlek overcame this year’s Dubai runner-up Anna Kalinskaya, while Krueger defeated the 13th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. The American will face a stiff challenge from her 18-year-old opponent, who has now won four matches in Madrid since the qualifying round. Bejlek showed she can soak up power against Kalinskaya, which is ominous for Krueger, since big-hitting is the basis of her game. This is likely to be close, but the teenager could create more headlines if she is as consistent as the last round.
Prediction: Bejlek in 3
Elena Rybakina vs Mayar Sherif
Head-to-Head: Rybakina 1-0 Sherif
Sherif had not played many matches this season before the Madrid Open due to injury, but the clay-court specialist showed she was back to full sharpness with a superb win against last week’s Stuttgart runner-up Marta Kostyuk. The Egyptian dictated the rallies throughout that contest with her forehand. That will be much harder to do against Rybakina’s clean hitting. Sherif needs to serve well to have a chance to bring her forehand into play regularly. But world No. 4 is still a major favorite for progress, even if Sherif is playing near her best.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
