The third round of the WTA half of Madrid begins on Saturday, Day 5 of play, with a very exciting slate of matches ahead of us. Aryna Sabalenka won this event two years ago and the next obstacle she’s going to face in her attempt to regain that crown will be Camila Osorio. We also predict the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article. Who do you think will come out on top?
WTA Madrid Day 5 Predictions
Shelby Rogers vs Irina-Camelia Begu
Head-to-head: Rogers 2-1
This one looks quite unclear. Irina-Camelia Begu used to enjoy this event a lot with back-to-back quarterfinals in 2015/2016, but it’s been years since she found another run in the Spanish capital. She’s generally the better clay court player, but Shelby Rogers has had a few of her career highlights on the surface as well. If the altitude in Madrid suits anyone in this matchup, it should actually be the American, but it’s more or less a coin toss.
Prediction: Rogers in 3
Elise Mertens vs Jule Niemeier
Head-to-head: First meeting
It seems like there is no middle ground with Jule Niemeier–either she looks like an amazing prospect or is in the middle of a losing streak. Her past four matches were some of the best she’s played all year, though. Especially in the faster clay conditions in Madrid, she could prove a worthy foe to Elise Mertens. The Belgian’s extremely consistent but if Niemeier’s weapons will be firing, she might not find the response.
Prediction: Niemeier in 3
Maria Sakkari vs Rebeka Masarova
Head-to-head: First meeting
Quietly in some very decent form this year is Rebeka Masarova, who was the runner-up at the WTA 250 in Auckland and an extremely stacked ITF 100K in Oeiras last week. The Spaniard also posted a big win over Donna Vekic this week already. Maria Sakkari is a bit of a step up, but she can sometimes be vulnerable to upsets. It’s possible that she’ll have her hands full with the in-form Masarova.
Prediction: Sakkari in 3
Aryna Sabalenka vs Camila Osorio
Head-to-head: Sabalenka 1-0
Aryna Sabalenka had a very tough second-round draw against Sorana Cirstea, who recently impressed during the Sunshine Double, including a win over the Belarusian. She dealt with her comfortably this time around. The conditions in Madrid are somewhat similar to the ones in Stuttgart last week and the 24-year-old should love them (won here in 2021 after all). Can Camila Osorio prove to be difficult for her? It’s unlikely.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
