Aryna Sabalenka is the defending champion at the WTA Madrid Masters, but her form since the Australian Open has been extremely uninspiring. Can the Belarusian fight back and prove she’s still on par with the likes of Iga Swiatek or Elena Rybakina? She kicks off her Mutua Madrid Open campaign against Magda Linette. Who do you think will prevail?
WTA Madrid Day 4 Predictions
Sara Bejlek vs Anna Kalinskaya
Head-to-head: First meeting
Quicker clay should be very much to Anna Kalinskaya’s liking and she even defeated Elena Rybakina here last year, so it was a bit of a surprise to see her go out to Sara Errani in Stuttgart qualifying last week. The Russian has had a career-best season so far and can be so tricky to take on with her ability to take time away. Sara Bejlek is a talented youngster, but her game revolves around consistency and it’s tough to see her standing up to Kalinskaya if the seed finds her rhythm.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 2
Caroline Dolehide vs Anhelina Kalinina
Head-to-head: First meeting
It’s clear that Caroline Dolehide fancies altitude conditions, but does that preference extend to clay events too? Most of her big results on this surface came on its green version back in the United States and the 25-year-old is in a bit of an uncharted territory here. Anhelina Kalinina until recently was one of the seeds you wanted to in these events, but these days seem gone now. The Ukrainian is a former quarterfinalist in Madrid and reached the Rouen semifinals last week.
Prediction: Kalinina in 2
Qinwen Zheng vs Yulia Putintseva
Head-to-head: Putintseva 1-0
Who knows how Qinwen Zheng’s Stuttgart campaign last week would have ended if she converted any of the five match points she had against the eventual runner-up, Marta Kostyuk. The Chinese should enjoy the conditions in Madrid, although she hasn’t really gotten the chance to show it yet in her career. It’s never easy to play Yulia Putintseva and she learned it the hard way at Roland Garros last year. The Australian Open finalist should be a bit better prepared now.
Prediction: Zheng in 3
Magda Linette vs Aryna Sabalenka
Head-to-head: Sabalenka 3-0
Aryna Sabalenka has gone off the boil since the Australian Open, but because she earned that title she could allow herself to have a couple of weaker months. Soon she’ll need to start winning again though as Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina seem to be speeding up by the minute. The 25-year-old clinched this title last year beating the World No. 1 in the final and while Magda Linette has found some form in recent weeks (Rouen final), it’s still an opponent Sabalenka dominated in the past and should do that again.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
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