Day 4 of the WTA Cleveland Open promises plenty of drama as the tournament heads into its decisive stages. Several top contenders will be looking to fine-tune their games ahead of the U.S. Open, while dark horses aim to extend their runs in Ohio. As always, we offer our previews and predictions. But who will advance?
WTA Cleveland Day 4 Predictions
Sorana Cirstea vs Jil Teichmann
Head–to–Head: Cirstea 0 vs 4 Teichmann
Sorana Cirstea will be looking to break the Teichmann stranglehold after succumbing to her in all four of their previous encounters, all of which were in straight sets. The Romanian will be buoyed by her convincing 6-4, 6-1 demolition of veteran Moyuka Uchijima in her Cleveland opener to earn a third straight sets win on the bounce.
On the other hand, Teichmann followed a more challenging route here after grinding out a three-set victory against Lois Boisson to bag her fifth win in her last six matches. The Swiss is well acquainted with Cirstea, having just recently defeated her in the Iasi semifinals the previous month.
Cîrstea’s experience and firepower do give her the slight edge heading into this encounter. While Teichmann’s left-handed variety could trouble her in patches, the Romanian’s ability to hit through the court should tilt the balance; either way, this should end in straight sets.
Prediction: Cirstea in 2
Xinyu Wang vs Talia Gibson
Head–to–Head:  Wang 1 vs 0 Gibson
While Xinyu Wang is the clear favourite to win this match, Talia Gibson brings to the court a quietly impressive resume of her own. At just 21, the Australian has captured ten titles on the ITF circuit this season. Their recent meeting required every ounce of Wang’s fight to close it out, and as they meet again in Cleveland, the scales still tip slightly toward Wang. However, expect a competitive match with Wang eventually coming out on top, but Gibson will be far from a mere spectator.
Prediction: Wang in 3
Katie Boulter vs Viktorija Golubic
Head–to–Head: Boulter 0 vs 1 Golubic
Katie Boulter ended her four-match winless streak with a composed win over Yue Yuan in the first round. She will be eager to consolidate on that and find her rhythm before the US Open as she faces an in-form Viktorija Golubic, who’s won five of her last six, including a solid straight-set thrashing of Lucia Bronzetti in the first round.
This one could swing either way and will likely come down to a few pivotal games and how each handles key breakpoints. All in all, we expect the Brit to outlast the crafty Golubic.
Prediction: Golubic in 3
Liudmila Samsonova vs Yafan Wang
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
Cleveland has become a place of resurgence for Yafan Wang. She rolled through the qualifiers before stunning Peyton Stearns in the opening round in three sets. Like for Wang, Cleveland offers her a chance for Samsonova to rediscover her rhythm ahead of the U.S. Open, and she did look solid as she dismantled Caroline Dolehide in straight sets.
While Wang lacks the raw shot-making of Samsonova, she makes up for it with superb movement, patience, and the ability to turn defence into attack, and she will have enough of it against the Russian to coax errors out of her. That being said, Samsonova’s ceiling remains higher, and there’ll be no other outcome than a win for the top seed.
Prediction: Samsonova in 2
Main Photo Credit: Jerry Lai – USA TODAY Sports