The WTA 1000 in Madrid Open continues, and the first clay WTA 1000 of the season never disappoints for storylines. Day 2 sees a hefty lineup of matches, but we examine four in this piece and will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule. But who will advance?

WTA Madrid Day 2 Predictions
Elena-Gabriela Ruse vs Antonia Ruzic

Head–to–Head: Ruse 2 – 0 Ruzic

Elena-Gabriela Ruse rolls into Madrid with real clay momentum behind her after a gritty semifinal run in Linz. Wins over Katie Boulter, Dayana Yastremska, and Jelena Ostapenko underscore both her resilience and her growing comfort on the dirt. Even in defeat to Mirra Andreeva, there were enough positives to suggest Ruse is building something dangerous heading into this swing.

For Antonia Ruzic, the trajectory is heading the other way. A flat loss to Liudmila Samsonova in Stuttgart marked a second straight early exit, stalling the momentum she built earlier in the season. Trailing 2–0 in the head-to-head, including a recent defeat in Miami, Ruzic faces an uphill task against a confident, in-form opponent. On clay, and on current evidence, this looks firmly in Ruse’s racquet.
Prediction: Ruse in 2

Yuliia Starodubsteva vs Moyuka Uchijima

Head–to–Head:  First Meeting

Despite just winning an ITF title in Antalya, Moyuka Uchijima is still hovering around the fringes of the top 100, which brings pressure. The Japanese star turned heads here last year with a fearless run to the quarterfinals, taking down heavyweights like Jessica Pegula and Ekaterina Alexandrova before being halted emphatically by Elina Svitolina. That breakthrough showed her ceiling, but it also set a benchmark she now has to defend.

Across the net, Yuliia Starodubtseva feels like the more dangerous float. The Ukrainian may have slipped into the draw as a lucky loser after falling to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in qualifying, but her recent surge in Charleston suggests she’s playing at a level well above her ranking. If she taps into that form early, Starodubtseva has the firepower and confidence to overwhelm Uchijima and spoil her bid to back up last year’s run.
Prediction: Starodubtseva in 3

Dayana Yastremska vs Solana Sierra

Head–to–Head: First Meeting

Dayana Yastremska walks into this clash with the kind of firepower that can blow matches open in a hurry. When her timing clicks, she flattens opponents off the court by taking the ball early and dictating play with fearless aggression. But that same high-risk style can wobble under pressure, and if her error count creeps up, the door swings wide open. This is where her experience at higher levels should matter; she knows how to ride momentum and impose herself when it counts.

Solana Sierra, though, won’t be overwhelmed easily. The Argentine thrives on rhythm, extending rallies and forcing one more ball, one more shot, one more question. If she can absorb Yastremska’s pace and drag the contest into longer exchanges, this becomes a far more uncomfortable night for the Ukrainian.

Ultimately, it feels like a matchup decided on Yastremska’s racquet: if she finds her range, she’s too explosive, but if Sierra turns it into a grind, an upset is very much on the cards.
Prediction: Yastremska in 3

Main Photo Credit: Angela Wilhelm USAToday Sports Syndication: Asheville Citizen-Times