The WTA Cincinnati Open will have another interesting day of tennis with 14 second-round matches being played. Jasmine Paolini, the #5 seed, and Olympic champion, Qinwen Zheng are in action. As always, we here at LWOT will offer our predictions for every match on the slate for Day 3. But who will advance to the next round?
WTA Cincinnati Day 3 Predictions
Daria Kasatkina vs Taylor Townsend
Head-to-Head: Kasatkina 2-0 Townsend
Daria Kasatkina had a routine win over Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round. She needed this win desperately, having lost her last three matches. She served well but needs to control her double fault rate. Kasatkina has hit 33 double faults in her last three matches and will need to be better if she wants to have a deep run this week. Taylor Townsend has had an incredible turnaround since losing to Erika Andreeva in Toronto qualifying. She has achieved a career-high singles ranking following her quarterfinal run last week. However, Kasatkina is the better player and will find a way to win this important match.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
Caroline Wozniacki vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Head-to-Head: Wozniacki 7-1 Pavlyuchenkova
Caroline Wozniacki has lost twice to Anhelina Kalinina since her comeback but she took her revenge brilliantly. She won the match in straight sets to set up an exciting match against Pavlyuchenkova. There is a long history between these two, granted a one-sided one. Their first meeting came 15 years ago and the last one in 2017. Wozniacki has dominated this match-up over the years but Pavlyuchenkova’s only win came at the Cincinnati Open. Pavlyuchenkova has been better on hard courts this year which should give her the edge.
Prediction: Pavlyuchenkova in 3
Qinwen Zheng vs Magdalena Frech
Head-to-Head: Zheng 0-1 Frech
Qinwen Zheng had a dream run at the Paris Olympics and now that she is well-rested, she will look to build on her success. Zheng has a 12-6 win-loss record on hard courts this year including a finals run at the Australian Open. Magdalena Frech is enjoying her best season on tour and defeating Bouzkova on her worst surface is a big result. This was Frech’s first main draw win at the Cincinnati Open, but I am afraid she won’t be able to progress any further. The Chinese superstar should see this through in straight sets.
Prediction: Zheng in 2
Jasmine Paolini vs Anastasia Potapova
Head-to-Head: Paolini 0-1 Potapova
Jasmine Paolini has been having a wonderful season so far and will look to continue that form in the North American summer. Paolini has already won a Masters 1000 title on hard courts this year but this is her first match on hard courts in a while and might be a bit rusty. Anastasia Potapova has defeated Paolini this year but she has been in horrible form recently. Potapova can play at a high level but her form doesn’t give me any confidence in backing her. Paolini should get it done even with a slow start.
Prediction: Paolini in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
