It promises to be an exciting second day of WTA Ningbo action. Australian Open quarterfinalist Anna Kalinskaya is among those scheduled to take to the court in East China. We at LWOT have predictions for all the Day 2 matches between this and a separate article, including Karolina Muchova vs Olivia Gadecki. But which players do you think will progress to the next round?
WTA Ningbo Day 2 Predictions
Katerina Siniakova vs Magda Linette
Head-to-head: Linette 3-1 Siniakova
Linette played superbly in Wuhan last week. She dismantled Liudmila Samsonova and Daria Kasatkina before being unfortunate enough to run into an in-form Coco Gauff in the quarterfinal. Linette and Siniakova have similar playing styles, preferring to control rallies with their backhands. Nine-time Grand Slam doubles champion Siniakova is superior at the net, but she does not get up there often in her singles matches. Linette’s form makes her a slight favorite in this matchup.
Prediction: Linette in 3
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Xiaodi You
Head-to-head: First meeting
Alexandrova was also a losing quarterfinalist at the Wuhan Open, falling in a deciding set tiebreak to Xinyu Wang. This should be the perfect match to shake off that disappointment. You is ranked outside the Top 200, and lost in the opening round of qualifying at the China Open and in Wuhan. Alexandrova’s powerful style will likely have too much for the home player.
Prediction: Alexandrova in 2
Ajla Tomljanovic vs Yue Yuan
Head-to-head: First meeting
Tomljanovic was exceptional in qualifying, dropping only five games in four sets. Yuan is a hardcourt specialist who competed well against Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini last week. Both women are solid baseliners, with Yuan possessing a superior forehand while Tomljanovic’s backhand is the better of the two. This could be tight, but Tomljanovic’s momentum from the qualifying and ability to control the backhand-to-backhand exchanges might make the difference.
Prediction: Tomljanovic in 3
Anna Kalinskaya vs Anastasia Potapova
Head-to-head: Kalinskaya 1-0 Potapova
Since reaching the Berlin Open final in June, Kalinskaya has consistently won at least one match at tournaments without getting as far as the semifinals. Her last opening-round loss was in Strasbourg in May. That is an ominous sign for Potapova, who will try to extract errors from Kalinskaya with her gritty style. Hitting through Potapova when she is playing well is not straightforward, but Kalinskaya has the firepower to do it.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
