Coco Gauff wasn’t satisfied with her performances in the US Open swing and should be desperate to bounce back in some way right now. The first opportunity comes at the WTA China Open in Beijing, where she’s starting her campaign against Clara Burel. Who do you think will advance to the next stage of the event in Beijing?
WTA Beijing Day 3 Predictions
Anastasia Potapova vs Greet Minnen
Head-to-head: First meeting
Anastasia Potapova used to be one of the most dynamic WTA Tour prospects and it seemed like she might be on the “next to break Top 10” shortlist. While her progress has stalled since, her skillset remains quite versatile and she’s not an easy out. Greet Minnen will need to bring some offensive fire here and crack her inside-out forehand with plenty of precision. Otherwise Potapova’s defense and overall technical ability might be a bit too much for her in the long run.
Prediction: Potapova in 3
Veronika Kudermetova vs Xinyu Wang
Head-to-head: Kudermetova 1-0
Is Veronika Kudermetova back? Around this time last year she defeated Iga Swiatek en route to the title in Tokyo, which meant that she would be defending plenty of points in Asia. Her Seoul run was one of the rare signs of life the Russian has exhibited the entire season. Now she has to beat Xinyu Wang, who fended her off quite easily in Miami this year. This might be the match where we see if Kudermetova is truly back in good shape after last week’s Seoul semifinal run.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 3
Marta Kostyuk vs Katie Volynets
Head-to-head: First meeting
Marta Kostyuk lost in the Seoul quarterfinals last week, but it wasn’t a poor tournament from her by any means. She dominated two opponents she was supposed to beat before wasting crucial set points against Diana Shnaider. The Ukrainian has made plenty of progress this year and has a matchup here where she’ll be calling the shots. Katie Volynets doesn’t have much to hurt her with and it’s just on Kostyuk to keep her errors in check and give a sound performance.
Prediction: Kostyuk in 2
Coco Gauff vs Clara Burel
Head-to-head: Gauff 1-0
Coco Gauff has recently let Brad Gilbert go after her US Open swing failed to live up to the excellence of her 2023 campaign. The American hasn’t been awful this year, she’s just not close to big-title winning form at the moment. She mostly beats who she’s expected to and that included Clara Burel in Indian Wells this year (but it was a huge battle). If they play a few more times though, most of their matches likely won’t be that competitive and the rivalry should favor the American.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
