Players like Katie Boulter or Anastasia Potapova had higher expectations for this season, but there’s still time to turn things around as we head to the main part of the North American hard court swing. Prague champion Marie Bouzkova will also be in action on the second day of the WTA National Bank Open in Montreal, just three days after picking up her latest WTA Tour title, in Prague. Who do you think will advance to the next round?
WTA Montreal Day 2 Predictions
Moyuka Uchijima vs Marie Bouzkova
Head-to-head: Bouzkova 1-0
The form of the two players couldn’t be any more different as Moyuka Uchijima hasn’t grabbed a win in two months, while Marie Bouzkova just raised the title in Prague. They were both competing at that event, but the one advantage for the Japanese is that she was able to fly over to North America much earlier. Bouzkova seems to enjoy the North American hard-court swing with some big results in the past. She might be able to adapt despite not having that much time to do it.
Prediction: Bouzkova in 3
Yafan Wang vs Yuliia Starodubtseva
Head-to-head: Starodubtseva 1-0
Yulia Starodubtseva won their only meeting in a final of an ITF in Dallas two years ago. The Ukrainian has been trying to adapt to the main tour and getting mediocre results, but at least she’s been playing regularly unlike Yafan Wang. It will be only the third match of 2025 for the 31-year-old, who returned from a long injury hiatus by defeating Rebeka Masarova in the qualifying. Starodubtseva could be just a little too solid overall for her right now when she’s still trying to find her footing.
Prediction: Starodubtseva in 3
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Eva Lys vs Leolia Jeanjean
Head-to-head: Jeanjean 1-0
Leolia Jeanjean defeated Eva Lys in the final round of qualifying for the Australian Open last year. The German has made bigger inroads on the WTA Tour since, but facing somebody with this much variety can be tricky. It will also be Lys’s first match since Wimbledon and a three-set exit to Linda Noskova, while Jeanjean already caught some hard-court rhythm in the qualifying and in Prague last week. But I’ll trust the quality of the Lys’s baseline game to stand out here.
Prediction: Lys in 2
Katie Boulter vs Renata Zarazua
Head-to-head: First meeting
It’s been a pretty disappointing campaign for Katie Boulter, who posts a big win from time to time but hasn’t come close to solidifying herself as a Top 30 player. Her North American season started with a loss to Maria Sakkari last week, which was a very difficult draw to be fair. Renata Zarazua should be way more manageable, but the Mexican’s consistency sometimes catches out powerful opposition. Boulter will need to keep her mind in the game.
Prediction: Boulter in 2
Anastasia Potapova vs Antonia Ruzic
Head-to-head: First meeting
Anastasia Potapova’s career seems to be stagnating, but the Russian has the talent to turn things around. She missed Wimbledon due to injury and returned in Washington last week with a messy performance against Victoria Mboko. It’s time for her to produce a win now and while Antonia Ruzic has been improving quickly, Potapova at her best is in another league. She can attack, she can defend, and doesn’t give you many options to work with.
Prediction: Potapova in 2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
