The bottom half of the draw will be in action on Day 4 of the WTA National Bank Open in Montreal. This article features world No.3 Iga Swiatek, who takes on China’s Hanyu Guo. As always, we at LWOT will offer predictions for every match on the slate. But who will advance to the next round?
WTA Montreal Day 4 Predictions
Magdalena Frech vs Yuliia Starodubtseva
Head-to-Head: Frech 2-0 Starodubtseva
This is the rematch of last week’s Citi DC Open first round, where Magdalena Frech easily defeated Yuliia Starodubtseva. Frech got some much-needed match wins last week and will look to build on that here. Her playstyle causes a lot of problems for Starodubtseva, who has an aggressive game but has failed to disrupt Frech in previous meetings. I expect an improvement from the Ukrainian player, but Frech should win this one.
Prediction: Frech in 3
Rebecca Sramkova vs Caty McNally
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Rebecca Sramkova is a solid player on hard courts and will look to get some match wins and target a top 32 ranking before the US Open. Caty McNally won a thriller against Alycia Parks in the first round and extended her win streak to 11 in all competitions. She saved two match points in the process. McNally will come into this match with a lot of confidence. Sramkova is the higher-ranked player, but I have to go with the in-form American here.
Naomi Osaka vs Liudmila Samsonova
Prediction: McNally in 2
Head-to-Head: Osaka 2-2 Samsonova
Naomi Osaka got a nice straight-sets win in the first round to open her account in Montreal. Osaka has struggled with consistency, and that has seemingly bothered her a lot this season. However, she is with a new coach and will look to get back to her desired level. Liudmila Samsonova is a former finalist here and a very tough opponent, and Osaka knows that. These two have met four times since the start of 2024. Samsonova won their previous meeting, but Osaka leads 2-0 on hard courts. This match can go either way, but I am giving the Japanese a slight edge.
Prediction: Osaka in 3
Iga Swiatek vs Hanyu Guo
Head-to-Head: first meeting
#2 seed Iga Swiatek will play her first match since lifting the Wimbledon title. She is in brilliant form and is one of the favourites to lift the title here. Swiatek has an easy second-round match on paper, but Hanyu Guo has played two brilliant matches already and can cause some problems early on. However, Swiatek is too good to get in any trouble here, even if she starts slow.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images
