{"id":78062,"date":"2025-01-13T02:00:34","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T07:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=78062"},"modified":"2025-01-12T22:40:10","modified_gmt":"2025-01-13T03:40:10","slug":"australian-open-day-3-womens-predictions-rybakina-jones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/01\/13\/australian-open-day-3-womens-predictions-rybakina-jones\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian Open Day 3 Women&#8217;s Predictions Including Elena Rybakina vs Emerson Jones"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We complete the first round of the Australian Open on Day 3, with 20 women&#8217;s matches on the schedule. As always, we here at LWOT will share our predictions for all of them with you. Will we see upsets? Close matches? Our writers share their thoughts. We split the 20 matches between five articles, with the rest of the articles featuring <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/01\/13\/australian-open-day-3-womens-predictions-raducanu-alexandrova\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Emma Raducanu vs Ekaterina Alexandrova<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/01\/13\/australian-open-day-3-womens-predictions-keys-li\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Madison Keys vs Ann Li<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/01\/13\/australian-open-day-3-womens-predictions-paolini-wei\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Jasmine Paolini vs Sijia Wei<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/01\/13\/australian-open-day-3-womens-predictions-navarro-stearns\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Emma Navarro vs Peyton Stearns<\/a>. Predicting these matches are Jordan Reynolds, Manuel Traquete, and Ilemona Onekutu. Who do you think will advance?<\/p>\n<h2>Australian Open Day 3 Women&#8217;s Predictions<\/h2>\n<h4>Veronika Kudermetova vs Olivia Gadecki<\/h4>\n<p><em>Jordan:<\/em><br \/>\nKudermetova is the more talented of these players. However, she needs to be careful  after losing to several players last year with styles similar to Gadecki\u2019s, who puts a lot of balls into the court. Kudermetova is backed to win, but an upset would not be surprising.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Kudermetova in 2<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Manuel:<\/em><br \/>\nGadecki has been playing some very disappointing tennis this year and is yet to win a single set in 2025. Kudermetova hasn&#8217;t exactly been brilliant herself, but she has shown much better form and should be able to pull through here.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Kudermetova in 2<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Ilemona:<\/em><br \/>\nKudermetova\u2019s superior ranking and aggressive game style favor her heavily against Gadecki, giving her ample opportunity to rediscover her best form after lackluster performances saw her drop out of the top 50 in the rankings.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Kudermetova in 2<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a  id=\"1Q2GC5YhRP5a54C3j45rbw\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2193069968\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'1Q2GC5YhRP5a54C3j45rbw',sig:'dlmCpw7q17TdrxmoiscrET8r71rJXQF8o_h9U1AhJqE=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2193069968',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>Caty McNally vs Varvara Gracheva<\/h4>\n<p><em>Jordan:<\/em><br \/>\nMcNally only returned in November after several months out with an injury. It is tough to know if she is ready to compete in the main draw of a Grand Slam. Gracheva, despite often being inconsistent, is the favorite to progress.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Gracheva in 2<\/em> <\/p>\n<p><em>Manuel:<\/em><br \/>\nMcNally had a great end of 2024, while Gracheva struggled down the stretch; this is certainly a much closer matchup than the sheer difference in ranking would suggest, but ultimately Gracheva should be able to pull through.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Gracheva in 3<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Ilemona:<\/em><br \/>\nGracheva has been inconsistent lately, while McNally\u2019s decision to skip all the warmup events in Australia will pose the greatest threat to her chances here. The winner will come down to who finds their best level first, and the odds slightly favor Gracheva to do so&#8211;and so do I.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Gracheva in 3<\/em> <\/p>\n<p><a  id=\"99aFGysFTcFMqaCPZWXtrw\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2181485995\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'99aFGysFTcFMqaCPZWXtrw',sig:'uWKrSzTHwe-OPSSUXnDHUEb3BjUcS4_h_JgzSmc9qE0=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2181485995',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>Julia Grabher vs Xiyu Wang<\/h4>\n<p><em>Jordan:<\/em><br \/>\nGrabher is a tricky customer who can use variety effectively. But I favor Wang more on a hard court. Her forehand will likely cause Grabher problems in this matchup.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Wang in 2<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Manuel:<\/em><br \/>\nIt&#8217;s not often that we see a matchup between two players outside the Top 100 at a Slam, but this one looks particularly one-sided. Wang is a few levels above the world #413 Grabher and should be able to advance to the second round.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Wang in 2<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Ilemona:<\/em><br \/>\nWang\u2019s more aggressive baseline game should control the match, while Grabher\u2019s clay-court preference could limit her success here, though she managed to grab the win as the underdog on the hardcourts in Cleveland the first and only time the pair met a few years ago. Expect her to beat the odds ago and repeat the upset.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Grabher in 3<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a  id=\"kn6Mox4yQGpAmMznZUwWVw\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2180826160\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'kn6Mox4yQGpAmMznZUwWVw',sig:'I4WXXB0cty5xWLvGcEwQCdZQw8ufPAGvN_5T5iNmBgE=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2180826160',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>Elena Rybakina vs Emerson Jones<\/h4>\n<p><em>Jordan:<\/em><br \/>\nMost of the focus on Rybakina ahead of the Australian Open has been about <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/01\/08\/goran-ivanisevic-role-stefano-vukov-elena-rybakinas\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">the controversy<\/a> surrounding her <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/01\/02\/elena-rybakina-coach-suspended-wta-tour-confirms\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">former coach<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2025\/01\/08\/goran-ivanisevic-role-stefano-vukov-elena-rybakinas\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Stefano Vukov<\/a>. Therefore, this might be a welcome draw. 16-year-old wild card Jones is undoubtedly talented, but is probably not ready to mix it with Rybakina.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Rybakina in 2<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Manuel:<\/em><br \/>\nRybakina is one of the world&#8217;s best players and one of the main candidates to the title here, while Jones is one of the lowest ranked players in the tournament. Under normal circumstances, this should be one of the most one-sided matches of the tournament.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Rybakina in 2<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Ilemona:<\/em><br \/>\nRybakina\u2019s elite serve and baseline power should overpower Jones, who is yet to cut her teeth against the elite of the sport. Expect Rybakina to sail through with ease.<br \/>\n<em>Prediction: Rybakina in 2<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We complete the first round of the Australian Open on Day 3, with 20 women&#8217;s matches on the schedule. As always, we here at LWOT will share our predictions for all of them with you. Will we see upsets? Close matches? Our writers share their thoughts. We split the 20 matches between five articles, with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1601,"featured_media":62623,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[2570,2363,4414,3245,15801,5595,15653,42712,42713,9167,16285,13658,17775,2373,2369,7666,15705,5398,15535,4073,17207],"class_list":["post-78062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-predictions","tag-australian-open-picks","tag-australian-open-predictions","tag-australian-open-womens-predictions","tag-caty-mcnally","tag-caty-mcnally-predictions","tag-elena-rybakina","tag-elena-rybakina-predictions","tag-emerson-jones","tag-emerson-jones-predictions","tag-julia-grabher","tag-julia-grabher-predictions","tag-olivia-gadecki","tag-olivia-gadecki-predictions","tag-tennis-picks","tag-tennis-predictions","tag-varvara-gracheva","tag-varvara-gracheva-predictions","tag-veronika-kudermetova","tag-veronika-kudermetova-predictions","tag-xiyu-wang","tag-xiyu-wang-predictions"],"modified_by":"Yesh Ginsburg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1601"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78062"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78096,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78062\/revisions\/78096"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}