The quarterfinal lineup is set at the WTA Cincinnati Open and four thrilling matches will be played on Saturday. There have been some upsets, but two of the top 3 seeds are still in the hunt for glory. As always, we here at LWOT will offer our predictions for every match on the slate for day 5. But which four players will advance to the semifinals?
WTA Cincinnati Quarterfinal Predictions
Paula Badosa vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Head-to-Head: Badosa 1-0 Pavlyuchenkova
Paula Badosa keeps winning as she beat Yulia Putintseva, to reach her second Cincinnati Open quarterfinals. With this win, she’s guaranteed to be seeded at the US Open, which is huge. Badosa is not a grinder anymore. Her game style has evolved this year and she is playing more aggressively. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has had a terrible season since February but always needed just a couple of good wins to find her form, which she has done this week. She did not face a break point in dispatching Qinwen Zheng in straight sets to reach her first Masters 1000 quarterfinals since 2021. Badosa easily defeated her earlier this year but I think it will be a closer match this time.
Prediction: Badosa in 3
Jessica Pegula vs Leylah Fernandez
Head-to-Head: Pegula 1-0 Fernandez
It was a tough schedule for Jessica Pegula on Friday but she came through brilliantly. She defeated last year’s finalist, Karolina Muchova, and the in-form, Taylor Townsend, to reach the quarterfinals. She has already done better than last year after winning in Canada. Leylah Fernandez dismantled Diana Shnaider after her huge win over Rybakina in the second round. Fernandez is full of confidence right now and playing some great tennis. Against Shnaider, she was redlining, defending superbly and even serving great with a minimal drop in level. Pegula is in incredible form currently and if Fernandez doesn’t play another perfect match, she will lose.
Prediction: Pegula in 3
Aryna Sabalenka vs Liudmila Samsonova
Head-to-Head: Sabalenka 1-2 Samsonova
It was a solid performance from Sabalenka against Elina Svitolina and a much better one than her second-round match. She is finding form at the right moment and would back herself against anyone going forward. Samsonova beat her last year in Montreal and is always a tough matchup with her flat strikes, especially on quick courts. Samsonova has reached back-to-back quarterfinals in two weeks and will look to advance further here at the Cincinnati Open. This is pretty close to call, probably just comes down to fine margins on whoever has the better serving day unless one of them randomly plays a stinker and can’t find the court. I will go with the higher seed.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 3
Iga Swiatek vs Mirra Andreeva
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Despite a blip in one of the sets, Swiatek has looked great in her two matches, and her serve has been very effective. Mirra Andreeva is having another wonderful week as she got her revenge on Jasmine Paolini. She has improved a lot in the last three months. Her serve is better and there are significant improvements in pressure points. Andreeva has more chances here than if it was on a slower court, but at the same time her game style isn’t typically one that Swiatek struggles against. Andreeva will have to serve exceptionally and try to rush Swiatek on her forehand side to have any chance. I can see this being tricky for the world No.1 but expect her to find a way.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
