Australian Open Day 1 Women’s Predictions Including Aryna Sabalenka vs Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah

The first Grand Slam of this year is here as 256 singles players have descended upon Melbourne to compete for the Australian Open title. Day 1 kicks off with 16 women’s matches, including Aryna Sabalenka vs Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah. Our other prediction articles feature Jasmine Paolini vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Emma Raducanu vs Mananchaya Sawangkaew, and Venus Williams vs Olga Danilovic. Offering their insights and predictions are Zain Mustafa, Ateet Shrivastava, and Ilemona Onekutu. But who will advance?

Australian Open Day 1 Women’s Predictions

Marketa Vondrousova vs Hailey Baptiste

Zain
When healthy, Vondrousova is one of a select few players with both the talent and the game to compete for the biggest prizes in tennis. But unfortunately, her last six months on tour have been riddled with injuries. Baptiste, on the other hand, is herself struggling for form, having lost her last five matches on tour. In a match-up between health and form, Vondrousova’s overall pedigree is too much for me to deny her a victory here.
Prediction: Vondrousova in 2

Ilemona
Baptiste has the power to cause problems, but Vondrousova’s ability to absorb pace and redirect the ball on hard courts gives her control of the patterns. If she keeps the points varied, she should draw errors at key moments.
Prediction: Vondrousova in 3

Ateet
This should be a great match and can go any direction. Marketa Vondrousova got a great win over Liudmila Samsonova in Adelaide, but did not compete in the next round, which casts a doubt over her fitness. Baptiste has not started the season well, but I am taking her if Vondrousova is not 100%.
Prediction: Baptiste in 3

Dayana Yastremska vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse

Zain
Both of these players bring their contrasting playstyles to the table, with Ruse more inclined to construct points and Yastremska looking to go all-out attack at any chance she gets. Ultimately, this is a match-up that Ruse has had much success in before, and despite Yastremska’s higher ranking, she should once again have just enough to edge out a close-fought victory.
Prediction: Ruse in 3

Ilemona
Yastremska thrives when she can dictate early, and the faster conditions help her aggressive ball-striking. Ruse can make this competitive, but sustaining that level over a full match is the challenge.
Prediction: Yastremska in 2

Ateet
Dayana Yastremska started the season with two brilliant performances but shockingly won just one game against Katerina Siniakova in Adelaide. She is a former semifinalist here and likes these courts, but has to play her best tennis against Elena Gabriela Ruse, who has the advantage in the head-to-head.
Prediction: Yastremska in 3

Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Yulia Putintseva

Zain
This is again a match-up that, historically, Haddad Maia has done well in, but her lack of match practice coming into it might be an issue against an opponent in Putintseva who likes to wait for opportunities and build out points. If the Kazakh can take this one deep, she has a good opportunity to get a win against Haddad Maia here.
Prediction: Putintseva in 3

Ilemona
This has all the makings of a grind, but Haddad Maia’s lefty patterns and heavier forehand give her more ways to hurt Putintseva on hard courts. If she stays composed in longer rallies, that edge should tell.
Prediction: Haddad Maia in 3

Ateet
This match could turn out to be one of the longest matches of the tournament, as both players like to play long rallies, and their previous meetings have gone the distance. Yulia Putintseva has got a decent amount of matches under her belt, while Beatriz Haddad Maia could be a little undercooked.
Prediction: Putintseva in 3

Aryna Sabalenka vs Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah

Zain
The World No. 1 kicks off her quest for a third title down under against a relatively unknown player. While that can cause Sabalenka some issues early on in adjusting to the opponent, her form leading up to this tournament was just too good for this to be anything other than a straightforward opening victory.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2

Ilemona
Sabalenka’s first-strike tennis is tailor-made for Melbourne, and she tends to be ruthless against players seeing this stage for the first time. The pace and pressure should quickly tilt the match in her direction.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2

Ateet
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka arrives in Melbourne on the back of a brilliant title run in Brisbane and looks primed to win her third Australian Open title. Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajanoah has a lot of potential, and the tennis world will see a lot of her in the future, but currently, she is nowhere close to the level of Sabalenka.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2

Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey – Imagn Images