Main photo credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images

WTA Guadalajara Day 3 Predictions Including Jelena Ostapenko vs Marina Stakusic

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Manuel Traquete | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 6:30 AM ET

As expected of a tournament played the week right after the US Open, the Guadalajara tournament this week doesn’t exactly feature a star-studded field, with #22 Elise Mertens the #1 seed here. She will make her debut next Wednesday as will Jelena Ostapenko, who is probably the highest profile player in the draw. Despite the lack of top players, it should be a very exciting and unpredictable tournament all throughout the week.

WTA Guadalajara Day 3 Predictions

Darja Vidmanova vs Nikola Bartunkova

Head-to-head: Vidmanova 1-0 Bartunkova

Ranking-wise, this is easily the worst match of the day, but it presents a great chance for both players to make a rare WTA quarterfinal run, so both players will surely be extremely motivated to play their best tennis here. Just like their previous meeting in 2020, it should be a very close match, decided by who holds their nerve and executes better in key points.

Prediction: Vidmanova in 3

Rebecca Marino vs Tatjana Maria

Head-to-head: Marino 2-1 Maria

Maria’s ranking is pretty much sustained by her grass excellence and the same is true for this head-to-head, with Maria winning the one match on grass and Marino winning the remaining matches. Despite the ranking gap, on a hard court Marino should make this a very competitive match and has an excellent chance to get another win in this matchup.

Prediction: Marino in 3

Elise Mertens vs Elsa Jacquemot

Head-to-head: first meeting

Mertens is the #1 seed in this event but she doesn’t have an easy first round at all. Jacquemot has been playing some good tennis lately, including in her first round here, where she beat Maria Sakkari with a bagel dropping only two games overall. If she can keep up that high level of play, she could well continue her run here.

Prediction: Jacquemot in 3

Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva vs Veronika Kudermetova

Head-to-head: first meeting

Kudermetova had a very disappointing first round loss at the US Open and will be looking to make amends here; on paper she got a very kind draw here against a player ranked almost 100 spots below her. Even considering how much she has been struggling lately, if Kudermetova plays close to her normal level she should advance with relative ease here.

Prediction: Kudermetova in 2

Jelena Ostapenko vs Marina Stakusic

Head-to-head: Stakusic 1-0 Ostapenko

Stakusic won this matchup in this very tournament last year in a third set tiebreak, so Ostapenko will be looking to get some revenge in her return to the courts after the US Open controversy with Taylor Townsend. Ostapenko is knowing for her extreme inconsistency so it’s very hard to predict what version of her we will get here. If she plays at a decent level, she should be able to get the win this time around, though.

Prediction: Ostapenko in 3

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: