Seeds come into play on the third day of the China Open in Beijing with bottom-half second-round matchups. Paula Badosa and Elena Rybakina performed very well at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals last week, even if their teams didn’t last long in the competition. They’ll be trying to repeat that standard in their openers, while Karolina Muchova and Sorana Cirstea meet in a rematch of their US Open thriller. Who do you think will prevail?
WTA Beijing Day 3 Predictions
Eva Lys vs Iva Jovic
Head-to-head: First meeting
At just 17 years of age, Iva Jovic has skyrocketed up the rankings recently after taking the title at WTA 500 Guadalajara. Yes, that’s probably the weakest event of that category all season and it tends to produce unexpected winners. But there’s no denying that Jovic is ready to compete on the main tour and we’ll see now how she reacts to that success. It’s tough to say what will happen here, but her upside is higher than Eva Lys’, so the match is a little more on her racket.
Prediction: Jovic in 3
Antonia Ruzic vs Paula Badosa
Head-to-head: First meeting
Paula Badosa made the semifinals in Beijing last year, but her chronic health problems haven’t made it easy for her to compete on a regular basis recently. At the Billie Jean King Cup Finals last week, she played her first match since Wimbledon. Luckily for her, it was a great performance in a thriller against Elina Svitolina. Despite the loss, that showing suggests that Badosa is ready to give the China Open a go. That sounds like trouble for Antonia Ruzic, who talent-wise is not in the same league.
Prediction: Badosa in 2
Karolina Muchova vs Sorana Cirstea
Head-to-head: Muchova 6-1
These two have been running into each other a lot, including four matches in 2023 and two this season. The recent clash at the US Open was a stunner and if Sorana Cirstea wasn’t coming off the Cleveland title, maybe she wouldn’t have faded away in the deciding set. Muchova reached the final last year and while her health is always a question mark, she doesn’t need much momentum to play well. Especially with her versatility, it makes sense why she’s been winning against Cirstea most of the time (but it’s rarely easy).
Prediction: Muchova in 3
Elena Rybakina vs Caty McNally
Head-to-head: McNally 1-0
We’re still waiting for Elena Rybakina to properly get back to her best level and that won’t be possible until she produces a big run at a Slam. But her quality has been rising steadily with strong performances in the North American hard court swing and a dominant display over Jessica Pegula at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Caty McNally has tricks up her sleeve and can play with nice variety, potentially drawing some errors from Rybakina. But when the No. 8 seed is playing well, it’s not much of a contest.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports