We\u2019re moving into the Round of 16 in at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Open in San Jose. The top four seeds received a first round bye and will start their campaigns Wednesday or Thursday. The 2018 defending champion was eliminated by Russia\u2019s Daria Kasatkina. Mihaela Buzarnescu was nowhere near the level we\u2019ve seen \u2013 far too many unforced errors and a questionable serve dashed the unseeded Romanian\u2019s hope of a second title. Tuesday was a bit more work, as it took three sets, but all four seeds who\u2019 have now played in San Jose are through to the Round of 16.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a look at Day 3, the start of the Round of 16. Who will we see in the quarterfinals?<\/p>\n
Head to head: <\/strong>Vandeweghe 1-0 Sabalenka (Fed Cup)<\/p>\n A pretty remarkable story–five months ago, CoCo Vandeweghe wasn\u2019t able to walk. Now, she\u2019s showing unhampered movement. Fitness may be an issue, having spent nine months away from the game, though she certainly had enough to get through her first round challenge of Maria Bouzkova. This was an ideal opponent for the American\u2019s return to the WTA tour. Not much threat from Bouzkova\u2019s average first serve speed of 78 mph. Certainly, CoCo will need to clean up the unforced errors and double faults, but all-in-all, a nice showing for Vandeweghe\u2019s return.<\/p>\n Sabalenka\u2019s 2019 has been a struggle. The in-form Sabalenka from 2018<\/a> is gone, and in its place is self-doubt and inconsistency. While the Belorussian has had some remarkable doubles success, her singles game simply isn\u2019t clicking. Coming into San Jose as the #2 seed, Sabalenka received a first round bye. She will present a much more challenging foe for Vandeweghe than the American\u2019s first round opponent did. But, we\u2019ll see a match laden with unforced errors and double faults. Of course, there will be some powerful, heavy shots and awe-inspiring winners from both players. But it\u2019s really the error count which will determine the winner, and I predict that\u2019ll be Sabalenka by the narrowest of margins.
\nPrediction: Sabalenka in 3<\/em><\/p>\n