The WTA 1000 in Madrid promises some great action on only the second day of main draw play. To name a couple, 15-year-old phenom Mirra Andreeva is taking on current star Leylah Fernandez whilst Eugenie Bouchard continues her comeback against Dayana Yastremska. We’ve tried to predict the outcomes of these first rounds and others on Day 2. We’ve split all the day’s matches between three articles. The other two articles feature Elina Svitolina vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Emma Raducanu vs Viktoriya Tomova. Who do you think will advance?
WTA Madrid Day 2 Predictions
Jasmine Paolini vs Magdalena Frech
Head-to-head: First meeting
Magdalena Frech has had her moments on this surface. Who could forget her epic against Angelique Kerber at last year’s French Open? She didn’t win that day, however, and hasn’t often come out on top against the best in the world, regardless of the surface.
Though Jasmine Paolini’s been in poor form, we haven’t actually seen her playing on clay since last year. She was solid as a rock then–there’s no reason she shouldn’t be feeling confident now. Frech might get under her skin for a set but the Italian should have this.
Prediction: Paolini in 3.
Sloane Stephens vs Jaqueline Cristian
Head-to-head: First meeting
Though she’s under-ranked, Jaqueline Cristian has used her protected ranking to gain access to the main draw in Madrid. In the meantime, she has been accruing some form, winning ITF titles on hard before winning a consecutive one on clay in March, defeating Zidansek at the Billie Jean King Cup and reaching the semis in Koper. The Romanian hits a decent ball and has no reason to be underestimated here.
Sloane Stephens hasn’t really got going this season and could get caught out pretty easily, especially with the stark transition in surface.
Prediction: Cristian in 3.
Dayana Yastremska vs Eugenie Bouchard
Head-to-head: First meeting
Though clay isn’t her strong suit, Dayana Yastremska hits a big enough ball to be effective on any surface. Her huge flat strikes can peak to the moon on their day–there’s just not much margin for error in the way she plays.
Can Eugenie Bouchard be enough of a nuisance to the Ukranian overheat in her comeback? There have been some promising signs including wins over Parry and In Albon on clay in the past month. She’s not as far away from a competitive level as some would be led to believe but she’s maybe not ready for a deep run at a big event just yet.
Prediction: Yastremska in 3.
Leylah Fernandez vs Mirra Andreeva
Head-to-head: First meeting
It’s taken a bit of time for Leylah Fernandez to find her feet on clay. After last year’s quarterfinal run at Roland Garros, however, we’ve no reason to believe she’s uncomfortable. Fernandez is incredibly adept at altitude as well having won in Monterrey two years in a row. Her game could be extremely effective at this tournament.
Mirra Andreeva’s rise has frankly been terrifying, however. The 15-year-old has won six of the last eleven tournaments she’s played. This is a great test for Fernandez to open against–Andreeva will swing for the fences but Fernandez should inevitably prove too much against the young phenom.
Prediction: Fernandez in 3.
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
