It should be an entertaining second day of WTA Charleston action. Paula Badosa, Anna Kalinskaya, and Mayar Sherif are among those who will take to the court. The other Day 2 matches, including Bianca Andreescu vs Dalma Galfi and Belinda Bencic vs Dayana Yastremska, are predicted in separate articles. Which players do you expect to win?
WTA Charleston Day 2 Predictions
Mayar Sherif vs Yue Yuan
Head-to-head: Sherif 2-1 Yuan
Sherif is better on red clay than Yuan, while the Chinese player’s ceiling on grass and hard courts is much higher. On green clay, it promises to be a tight battle. Sherif will have a decent chance to wind up her powerful forehand, but the conditions will also have enough pace for Yuan to believe she can rush the Egyptian. Overall, Yuan is narrowly favored to win a close battle.
Prediction: Yuan in 3
Anna Kalinskaya vs Viktoriya Tomova
Head-to-head: Kalinskaya 2-2 Tomova
These two have never played on clay, and their last meeting was in 2019. Therefore, the head-to-head will not have any bearing on the outcome of this match. Clay is Kalinskaya’s weakest surface, as it doesn’t naturally suit her flat-hitting game. Nonetheless, I doubt Tomova’s defense is good enough to consistently repel Kalinskaya’s more powerful groundstrokes, even if the 27-year-old is occasionally wayward.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 2
Paula Badosa vs Kayla Day
Head-to-head: First meeting
Badosa desperately needs a significant run of consecutive tournaments without any more injury setbacks. She has played three events since retiring from her match against Elina Svitolina at the Dubai Tennis Championships. The Spaniard will prevail comfortably if she performs near her best. Day produced some good tennis in Indian Wells, but she is inconsistent as well as not possessing significant firepower to hurt Badosa. This matchup being on clay also suits Badosa more, which makes an upset even more unlikely.
Prediction: Badosa in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images