Ons Jabeur picked up her first win in two months on Wednesday at the WTA 250 in Stuttgart; can she keep going against Jasmine Paolini? It’s tough draws everywhere at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix as World No. 4 Elena Rybakina kicks off her campaign against World No. 19 Veronika Kudermetova. Who do you think will advance to the quarterfinals?
WTA Stuttgart Day 4 Predictions
Jasmine Paolini vs Ons Jabeur
Head-to-head: Jabeur 2-0
It was a much-needed win for Ons Jabeur to say the least as she hadn’t gotten one in over two months. But Ekaterina Alexandrova kept pushing her and while the Russian is a completely different challenge stylistically compared to Jasmine Paolini, you could still see the Tunisian is lacking some match sharpness at the moment. But maybe this venue where she’s been successful in the past (2022 quarterfinal, 2023 semifinal) and an opponent she’s been comfortable against is just the right opportunity to start rebuilding.
Prediction: Jabeur in 2
Emma Raducanu vs Linda Noskova
Head-to-head: Raducanu 1-0
Emma Raducanu was the star of Great Britain’s win over France on indoor clay in the Billie Jean King Cup last weekend, which gave some great preparation for this event. You could see it in the way she dispatched Angelique Kerber in the opening round and she’s clearly a very dangerous proposition when healthy. This all-youngster battle looks quite exciting and Linda Noskova had no issue dispatching Jelena Ostapenko in her opener. Feels like Raducanu is due a big result, can this be the moment?
Prediction: Raducanu in 3
Elena Rybakina vs Veronika Kudermetova
Head-to-head: Rybakina 3-0
There are no easy draws when a tournament is this stacked and this might be the best example of that. Elena Rybakina is facing a Top 20 opponent in her first match in Stuttgart despite being in the Top 4 seeds. The good news for her though is that if Veronika Kudermetova maintains her current form, she won’t be inside the Top 20 for long. The Russian is having a very mediocre season and while her peak game could be enough to trouble Rybakina here, it’s just tough to believe that at this particular moment.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
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