With 16 games scheduled at the WTA Cincinnati Masters, there should be plenty of fun action at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which hosts the tournament this year. Here at LWOT we offer our predictions for all 16 games, including Sofia Kenin’s match with Alize Cornet, Yulia Putintseva against Zhang Shuai and former US Open champion Leylah Fernandez’s battle with Ons Jabeur. But who will reserve their place in the second round?
WTA Cincinnati Masters Day 2 Predictions
Anett Kontaveit versus Daria Kasatkina
Head to head: Kontaveit 1-0 Kasatkina
Anett Kontaveit arrives at the WTA Cincinnati Masters in good shape after a run to the final at the Palermo Ladies Open, although his performance in the 2-6 5-7 defeat to Fiona Ferro was a bit disappointing. Daria Kasatkina, meanwhile, secured her spot on the main draw as the lucky underdog after a final-round defeat at the hands of Christina McHale. This inspires little confidence in his ability to beat 12th Estonian seeded.
Prediction: Kontaveit in 2
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Sloane Stephens vs. Caroline Garcia
Head to head: Garcia 2-1 Stephens
It’s been an unhappy season for Sloane Stephens, who has only won one of her seven games so far in 2020 and was sent off in two sets on her last outing in Lexington by teenager Leylah-Annie Fernandez. In short, she is a player desperately in need of victory. But the 27-year-old enjoyed the highlight of her career at Flushing Meadows when she won the US Open three years ago. He will certainly hope to regain that spirit this week at the WTA Cincinnati Masters.
Caroline Garcia will play her first competitive match since the Lyon Open in February, which could perhaps make her the perfect opponent for Stephens. In truth, both women are better than their rankings suggest, but neither have been able to find anything like their best tennis in a long time. As a result, while this match may be a tense and close contest, it may not be the highest quality deal. But Stephens knows how to fight and may be able to pull off a valuable victory.
Prediction: Stephens in 3
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Christina McHale vs Iga Swiatek
Head to head: first meeting
Christina McHale played excellent tennis to get through qualifying, beating her compatriot Usue Maitane Arconada in the first round in three sets before beating Kasatkina 6-3 7-5. But she looks poised for a tough test when she faces Polish Iga Swiatek for a second round spot at the WTA Cincinnati Masters. Although Swiatek has played relatively little tennis so far this season, with this set being only his third appearance of the year, when he played he impressed.
She opened her season by reaching round four at the Australian Open, where she narrowly lost to Estonia Kontaveit, and supported her by upsetting Donna Vekic at the Qatar Open. Swiatek made it into round two at the US Open last season, showing some affinity for Flushing Meadows’ conditions, but will be at a disadvantage in this respect against McHale, who has played in the main draw at the US Open on ten occasions. Fortunately for the Pole, her talent should compensate.
Prediction: Swiatek in 3
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Danielle Collins versus Jil Teichmann
Head to head: first meeting
This is perhaps one of the most intriguing matches of the second day at the WTA Cincinnati Masters. Jil Teichmann arrives in New York after reaching the final at the Top Seed Open and will certainly be desperate to maintain that good period of form in the coming weeks. Danielle Collins, meanwhile, appears to have lost her way from her memorable run to the Australian Open semi-finals in 2019. But returning home, she will definitely be looking to make an impact.
However, this does not seem like a favorable meeting for the American. Although most of Teichmann’s successes have come on clay, the Swiss has a game that is well suited to the gritty, high-rebound hard courts of North America. Counterattack Collins, who excels when he catches the ball early, seems to prefer slippery surfaces over those at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and never made it through the second round in New York. Expect Teichmann to overcome this.
Prediction: Teichmann in 3
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