It should be an entertaining second day at the WTA Wuhan Open with 14 matches on the slate in Hubei Province. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Iga Swiatek vs Marie Bouzkova. But who will advance to the second round at the final WTA 1000 tournament of the season?
WTA Wuhan Day 2 Predictions
McCartney Kessler vs Jaqueline Cristian
Head-to-head: Cristian 1-0 Kessler
McCartney Kessler’s first full season on the WTA Tour has been an unqualified success. With two titles in the bag, the American has a shot at finishing the year inside the top 30 for the first time. Jaqueline Cristian did beat Kessler when they played in Madrid last season but Kessler has improved considerably since. The question mark will be on how quickly Kessler can recover from her recent abdominal/stomach injury she sustained in Beijing. But assuming she is back to full fitness, she should have the beating of Cristian.
Prediction: Kessler in 3
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Sorana Cirstea vs Jelena Ostapenko
Head-to-head: Ostapenko 4-1 Cirstea
Jelena Ostapenko has struggled immensely in the second half of the season. She has won three matches since the start of June and is winless in her last three. That poor run means the Latvian has a negative win-loss record for the year (18-19). Unless she can salvage something in Wuhan and the remaining few tournaments this month, then this could be her least productive season since 2019. Sorana Cirstea has fared better in that time, winning her third WTA title in Cleveland. But the Romanian’s consistency has dipped in recent tournaments and she faces the mental hurdle of overturning a 1-4 head-to-head record against Ostapenko.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 3
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Emma Raducanu vs Ann Li
Head-to-head: Raducanu 1-0 Li
A return to China is always a special occasion for Emma Raducanu whose mother hails from Shenyang in the north of the country. However, the British star has not quite had mesmerising results competing in her mother’s homeland. Indeed, this year’s Asian swing has been a real heartbreaker for Raducanu, who lost matches in Seoul and Beijing while holding match points. On a more positive note, she has an immediate opportunity to bounce back in Wuhan, where she is making her debut. Ann Li is a good enough player to make a match of this, but Raducanu should have the edge.
Prediction: Raducanu in 3
Main photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
