Day 3 of the WTA 1000 in Beijing will see the debut of the seeds, with several interesting matchups in prospect. Although every matchup features a seeded player against an unseeded player, there is a lot of potential for close matches and even some upsets.
WTA Beijing Day 3 Predictions
Karolina Muchova vs Katie Boulter
Head-to-head: Muchova 2-0 Boulter
Muchova won in straight sets both times the pair faced this year, losing only one game last month at the US Open. While this should definitely be a closer match than that US Open match, Muchova is clearly the better player and should have a clear edge here. Under normal circumstances, she should advance here.
Prediction: Muchova in 2
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Head-to-head: Alexandrova 5-1 Sasnovich
Sasnovich is having a very good run this week, winning both her qualifying matches and the first round in straight sets, but now she faces a player who has dominated her in the head-to-head so far and is generally more solid and consistent as well. While Sasnovich should be able to make it close, Alexandrova definitely has the edge here.
Prediction: Alexandrova in 3
Nikola Bartunkova vs Magdalena Frech
Head-to-head: Bartunkova 1-0 Frech
In terms of ranking and level, this is possibly the most even match of the day. There is very little to separate the two players, and it will mostly come down to who manages to step up on the day and execute better on big points. Bartunkova won their one previous meeting last year and she should perhaps have a slight edge here too.
Prediction: Bartunkova in 3
Yue Yuan vs Mirra Andreeva
Head-to-head: first meeting
This is arguably the most one-sided match of the day on paper in Beijing. Even if Andreeva hasn’t been playing great in recent months, she is clearly the superior player here and should be able to progress with relative ease against an opponent ranked outside the Top 100.
Prediction: Andreeva in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images