The second round wraps up on Day 5 of the Australian Open. We have 16 women’s singles matches on deck to decide who reaches Round 3. As always, our writers at LastWordOnTennis share their thoughts on the matches. We split the 16 matches between four articles. In addition to this article, the others feature Iga Swiatek vs Marie Bouzkova, Naomi Osaka vs Sorana Cirstea, and Madison Keys vs Ashlyn Krueger. Predicting these matches are Nurein Ahmed, Zain Mustafa, and Jordan Reynolds. Who do you think will advance to Round 3?
Australian Open Day 5 Women’s Predictions
Elena Rybakina vs Varvara Gracheva
Nurein:
Rybakina was clean as a whistle in her opening match against Juvan. She had to be patient because it was a tight straight sets win. Gracheva is a natural ball striker on this surface, but relies so much on timing and rhythm and Rybakina will easily expose her limits.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Zain:
Across the four sets these two have played against each other coming into this match, Varvara Gracheva has won only six games. While her rally tolerance can make things tricky at times, there is little reason to believe that an in-form Elena Rybakina, arriving with strong confidence, should struggle here.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Jordan:
Gracheva rarely plays well for an entire match. That spells doom for her against someone of Rybakina’s quality. The WTA finals champion will likely win comfortably even if Gracheva produces a few moments of magic.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Julia Grabher vs Anna Kalinskaya
Nurein:
Grabher scored a shocking win against Hobart champion Cocciaretto, who looked out of energy when the match went the distance. But she will play a sharper opponent in the second round. Kalinskaya plays assertive tennis and when is on the front foot, I don’t expect Grabher to get a route back into the match.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 2
Zain:
While Julia Grabher did well to come through a three-set battle in her first match, Anna Kalinskaya represents a significant step up in opponent quality. The Russian’s serve and backhand aggression should be too much to handle for an opponent who generally does her best work on slower clay courts.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 2
Jordan:
The conditions suit Kalinskaya’s game perfectly. Grabher’s win against the recent Hobart International champion Elisabetta Cocciaretto was one to be proud of, but she will probably need to be even better here. I do not think that is a challenge the Austrian can meet.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 2
Paula Badosa vs Oksana Selekhmeteva
Nurein:
When Badosa imposes herself physically and emotionally in match, she plays her best tennis. Unfortunately, we didn’t see that in the past two years because of persistent injuries. So far, she doesn’t have any physical concerns that could derail her campaign, and she should be the favorite to progress.
Prediction: Badosa in 2
Zain:
Oksana Selekhmeteva’s lefty angles were on full display in the first round, but against a solid baseliner and counterpuncher like Paula Badosa, it is quite likely that her journey in Melbourne comes to an end.
Prediction: Badosa in 2
Jordan:
I think last year’s semifinalist will be the victim of an upset here. Selekhmeteva was outstanding in the final set against Ella Seidel, and has a game that can disrupt Badosa’s aggression. The Spaniard is also prone to throwing in a bad performance when coming back from repeated injury issues like she had last year.
Prediction: Selekhmeteva in 3
Amanda Anisimova vs Katerina Siniakova
Nurein:
Siniakova brings variety and will try and throw Anisimova off her game with all sorts of tricks. I don’t think the American will take the bait. Anisimova’s game is very direct and firm, and if she steps in and takes the ball early, she won’t easily let this match drift.
Prediction: Anisimova in 2
Zain:
Amanda Anisimova is one of the players who can genuinely contend for the title here, having made the finals of the last two Majors she has played. While Katerina Siniakova’s unique playstyle can trouble some opponents, Anisimova simply has too much firepower in this matchup to not come out on top.
Prediction: Anisimova in 2
Jordan:
Siniakova only dropping three games in her opening match is unlikely to make much difference here. Anisimova’s massive hitting will be too much for the Czech if she is anywhere near her best. An upset is very unlikely.
Prediction: Anisimova in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images
