World No. 2 Elena Rybakina returns to the WTA Stuttgart as the top seed. The 2024 champion opens up against heavy-hitting lefty Diana Shnaider. Who will reach the quarterfinals?

WTA Stuttgart Day 4 Predictions
Linda Noskova vs Ekaterina Alexandrova

Head-to-head: Alexandrova 1-0 Noskova

Noskova survived a scare in her opening match against Shuai Zhang. The Czech shockingly lost the opening set 7-5 in half an hour, but regrouped and found her range to win the next two sets. The victory is her third in a row following her Billie Jean King Cup heroics last weekend. Alexandrova picked up her second win in eight matches as she downed qualifier Gabriela Knutson in straight sets. Alexandrova won the pair’s only meeting in Monterrey last year, but consistency just hasn’t been there lately. Noskova has all the momentum to avenge that loss in Mexico.

Prediction: Noskova in 2

Mirra Andreeva vs Alycia Parks

Head-to-head: Andreeva 1-0 Parks

Andreeva is already a champion this swing after a successful week in Linz. She extended her winning streak to five matches thanks to a comeback victory against defending champion Jelena Ostapenko on Wednesday. Parks has won three matches in Stuttgart, two of them in qualifying. Parks has not lost a set this week, but the only time she faced Andreeva, the American suffered one of the quickest losses of her career at last year’s US Open. Andreeva has shown she can stay stable under pace and serve pressure after handling Ostapenko’s overwhelming power. I expect her to replicate that performance.

Prediction: Andreeva in 2

Elena Rybakina vs Diana Shnaider

Head-to-head: first meeting

Rybakina won this tournament on her last visit two seasons ago. She ended Iga Swiatek’s 10-match undefeated streak in Stuttgart en route to the title. Last year, she missed the event, and there were conflicting reports that she withdrew from this year’s edition. But it was later confirmed that she withdrew from the One Point Challenge exhibition earlier this week. Diana Shnaider earned a straight-set win in her opening match. She dropped just four games in cruising past Tamara Korpatsch. While outdoor clay blunts Rybakina’s effortless power, controlled conditions indoors actually help the Kazakh.

Prediction: Rybakina in 3

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