Cincinnati Scores – 34 / 53 (64%)
WTA Cincinnati Final Prediction for Saturday
Day 7 – 0/1
Halep d. Muguruza in 3 sets
WTA Cincinnati Final Poll for Sunday
WTA Cincinnati SF Predictions for Saturday
Day 6 – 1/2
Pliskova d. Muguruza in 3 sets – Thoughts in Saturday’s Set Points
Halep d. Stephens in 2 sets – Thoughts in Saturday’s Set Points
WTA Cincinnati SF Polls for Saturday
WTA Cincinnati QF Predictions for Friday
Day 5 – 0/4
Kuznetsova d. Muguruza in 2 sets – Thoughts in Thursday’s Set Points post
Konta d. Halep in 3 sets – Thoughts in Thursday’s Set Points post
Wozniacki d. Pliskova in 3 sets – Would have gone Pliskova but tough turnaround having already played a match. Karolina can do it and has done it, winning two matches in one day at Eastbourne earlier this year. Woz on hard courts though when she’s barely missing? That’s a tough ask.
Goerges d. Stephens in 3 sets – A hugeeee opportunity for both players – Stephens toughed out a win over Makarova with her serve holding up at the end, while Goerges played a flawless match against Svitolina. Both will be confident, edging with Goerges after how well she played against Svitolina and with Stephens having played so much tennis over these past two weeks. Difficult to call matches when players have already played as you just never know how they are going to be feeling and react physically/mentally to playing the first match.
WTA Cincinnati QF Predictions for Friday
WTA Cincinnati R3 Predictions for Thursday
Day 4 – 6/8
Pliskova d. Giorgi in 3 sets – This is the match where i’m 50-50 – I was rather sold on Giorgi’s performance against Gavrilova where she played a terrific third set. The Italian also won earlier this year in Prague but on the Czech player’s weakest surface. I’m finding it hard to write off Pliskova though as she is just so steady in the key moments. Giorgi has the game to rush Pliskova, but can waver on serve.
Wozniacki d. Barty in 3 sets – So impressed with Barty and i’d give her an outside shot at the upset here. I sound like a broken record yet Wozniacki is just so solid on hard courts.
Keys d. Muguruza in 3 sets – Historically been a very good match-up for Keys who has won all three previous matches as she has managed to work the forehand. The American looks to be in a great place right now.
Kuznetsova d. Suárez Navarro in 3 sets – The pair are tied at 3-3 in their head-to-head. I feel like Sveta has a bit more about her game, question is whether she can apply it all mentally!
Svitolina d. Goerges in 3 sets – Goerges won their only previous match in Fed Cup action earlier this year on the fast clay courts of Stuttgart. Goerges will need to play a super match to prevail, but she’s in great form.
Stephens d. Makarova in 2 sets – It’s hard to imagine that Makarova has much left in the tank after she revealed she was cramping in the locker room after her marathon win over Kerber. Stephens has played a lot of tennis herself.
Konta d. Cibulkova in 2 sets – Cibulkova is bidding to win three matches at the same tournament for the first time in 2017! If Konta can find her return, I think she will be good enough to take this in straights.
Halep d. Sevastova in 2 sets – Halep has won their last three matches in straight sets although all three were on clay. Still, I think Halep has the upper hand in this match-up.
WTA Cincinnati R3 Polls for Thursday
WTA Cincinnati R2 Polls for Wednesday
WTA Cincinnati R2 Predictions for Wednesday
Day 3 – 10 / 12
Pliskova d. Vikhlyantseva in 2 sets – A first-time match-up, I think this could be a tricky opener for Pliskova with how their games may match up. Still, Pliskova has asserted herself as one of the most consistent players this year.
Giorgi d. Gavrilova in 3 sets – Snap Preview
V.Williams d. Barty in 3 sets – 50-50 on this one, I can see it going either way. Venus was superb against Riske, but that doesn’t automatically mean she will be able to find that level again on Wednesday. She didn’t waste too much energy though which was key. Barty continues to impress and has been very reliable all year, winning the matches you’d expect her to win – in fact, she hasn’t been beaten by a player ranked below her all year. I’m fascinated to see how Barty handles this match. I’ve lost my nerve in going for the Aussie because Venus has handled playing the younger players so well this year by showcasing her experience. As much as I respect Venus, I’d love to see Ash give a good account of herself here.
Wozniacki d. Vesnina in 2 sets – Really impressed by Vesnina to get the win over Garcia. This is a tough match-up for her though against a rock-solid Woz. The Dane won their most recent match in Eastbourne, 6-1 6-2.
Keys d. Kasatkina in 3 sets – Keys leads the H2H, 2-0 and I think her game style is one that is difficult for Kasatkina to contend with when on. I was encouraged though by Kasatkina’s R1 win over Sasnovich after playing very little of late due to the ankle injury.
Suárez Navarro d. Krunic in 2 sets – Liking CSN to build on her a solid first round win. Krunic not to be discounted, but her consistency between matches has always been an issue.
Kuznetsova d. Putintseva in 2 sets – Kuznetsova hasn’t won since Wimby, while Poots snapped a losing streak that stretched back to the French Open. This could be a fun one but I do think Kuznetsova will prevail – Poots won their only previous match earlier this year in St. Petersburg, 6-3 6-7(4) 7-5.
Svitolina d. Tsurenko in 2 sets – I think Svitolina will bring in her confidence from Toronto and should be good to go for Cincy. The pair are tied at 1-1 in their head-to-head but they have never played before on the WTA tour.
Goerges d. Abanda in 2 sets – A Washington rematch, very impressive wins from both players in the first round. Really taken with how well Goerges has been playing of late so i’d fancy her to get another win here. Goerges beat Abanda in DC, 6-4 6-4.
Makarova d. Kerber in 3 sets – I’ll give the upset a whirl! Makarova has looked very confident since reaching DC. She beat Kerber at the French Open, 6-2 6-2 although that was the German player’s weakest surface. Still, Kerber struggled to deal with Stephens’s power in Toronto and this is another brutal early match-up. Makarova already has seven top ten wins to her name in 2017.
Cornet d. Cibulkova in 3 sets – Snap Preview
Sevastova d. Vinci in 2 sets – Sevastova needed three sets to see off what looked like an injured and hobbling, Peng. The Latvian player does let nerves get the better of her and seem to melt her tactics at times. I’d fancy that she will be able to deal with Vinci’s game but it’s a first time match-up so who knows!
WTA Cincinnati R2 Predictions for Tuesday
Day 2 – 3/3
Muguruza d. Haddad Maia in 2 sets – Haddad Maia is having a great year and has already achieved a career best number of wins on the tour this year. This will be only her second top ten match having played Halep at Wimby and acquitted herself well, eventually losing, 5-7 3-6. Despite the error-strewn performance at times vs. Svitolina in Toronto, i’m still encouraged by Muguruza’s level and she spoke a really good game in press (via the Body Serve podcast).
Halep d. Townsend in 2 sets – I watched the third set of Townsend-Puig and was very impressed with TT who served well and was very effective moving forward. Puig did struggle to find the court for much of the set though. I’m interested to see how Halep reacts to the 1-6 1-6 loss to Svitolina in Toronto. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Townsend win a set but ultimately, I think Halep will be too solid for Townsend.
Konta d. Bertens in 2 sets – Konta leads the head-to-head, 2-0 with their last match in Copenhagen all the way back in 2012. Bertens stormed past Dodin in the first round who didn’t seem all that committed to the match. I’m not too concerned by Konta’s loss from 2 match points up vs. Makarova and she’s actually my champ this week – perhaps a little brave! I favour Konta in this match-up with the more effective serve and generally more stable groundstrokes.
WTA Cincinnati R1 Predictions for Monday & Tuesday
Days 1 & 2 – 14 / 23
Vekic d. Vikhlyantseva in 3 sets – Vekic leads the head-to-head, 2-1 and won their most recent match at Wimbledon, 6-7(6) 6-4 6-1. I think Vikhlyantseva was struggling with an injury then and also pulled out of their prior match in Madrid. I’ve been impressed with Vekic who has been enjoying some decent results in 2017 – after a great grass court season, she has successfully qualified for both Toronto and Cincy main draws, winning three of four matches in three sets.
Siniakova d. Giorgi in 3 sets – Very tough one to call, encouraged by Siniakova’s recent form and she demonstrated some impressive defence in her loss to Venus in Toronto. Also has the power to give Giorgi a run for her money.
Gavrilova d. Mladenovic in 3 sets – Wondering if Mladenovic will rebound in this one? The Frenchwoman has lost three of her last four matches and has seemingly lost the spark that has helped her to 38 match wins in 2017. The pair are tied at 1-1 in their head-to-head. Mladenovic of the first five months would be a straight sets winner IMO. I’m leaning though towards the bundle of energy that is Gavrilova.
V.Williams d. Riske in 2 sets – Venus has won their two previous meetings in straight sets including a 6-1 7-6(2) win in the semi-finals of Stanford last year. I like Venus here, Riske will give her a steady level and plenty of pace to work with.
Barty d. Lepchenko in 2 sets – Barty continues to impress, the Aussie dropped just 1 game against Flipkens in the second round of Cincy qualifying!
Garcia d. Vesnina in 3 sets – A toss-up, Vesnina has won their two previous matches on tour. Garcia has become increasingly reliable in 2017 and just reached the quarter-finals of Toronto.
Haddad Maia d. Davis in 2 sets – Liking the qualifier here, Davis’s confidence seems to have taken a hit and she has lost nine of her last 12 matches.
Kasatkina d. Sasnovich in 3 sets – Could see this one going either way tbh. Kasatkina needs more matches, while Sasnovich is a very competent player and i’ve always felt is better than her ranking.
Keys d. Vandeweghe in 3 sets – The pair just met in the final of Stanford in what was a high-quality match. Keys played a magnificent match and raised her level at the crux moments. I’m intrigued to see if the match-up changes on this slower surface. I’d be more inclined to say it would favour Keys more with the extra time on the slower courts giving her more time to set up on her strokes. Keys has generally played than Vandeweghe better on slower surfaces.
Ostapenko d. Krunic in 3 sets – Krunic has real game and beat Cirstea and Schiavone in qualies. Ostapenko showed some vulnerability in Toronto so may be for the taking. An interesting match-up.
Suárez Navarro d. Lucic-Baroni in 3 sets – CSN leads MLB, 2-0 in their head-to-head with three set wins at Wimbledon (2013) and Brisbane (2015). Neither player has won on hard courts post-Wimbledon. CSN actually played some decent tennis in the 2nd set of her R1 match against Kvitova in Toronto. The Spaniard is currently going through a transition phase having split with her long-term coach. MLB has had some brutal losses of late so it will take something special to turn it around here mentally.
Cepede Royg d. Putintseva in 3 sets – Poots has been struggling of late, on a five match losing streak and is without a win since Roland Garros. Since that same tournament, Cepede Royg has built on a best Slam run with nine match wins, mostly in qualifying. VCR has a pretty solid base game and a nice intensity to her game.
Pavlyuchenkova d. Tsurenko in 2 sets – Pavs leads the head-to-head, 3-1 although two of their four matches went to a third set. Pavs has also done well in Cincy before with three QF appearances in 2010, 2012 and 2015.
Abanda d. Linette in 3 sets – Abanda seems to be making some positive strides having now successfully qualified for her last 3 WTA level events. The Canadian player secured B2B top 100 wins over Doi and Vikhlyantseva. Linette snapped a six match losing streak to win her qualies matches and make the main draw.
Radwanska d. Goerges in 3 sets – A tricky one for Radwanska has Goerges has the game to dictate and take control of the outcome. I was encouraged by Radwanska’s form in Toronto, despite the straight sets loss to Wozniacki in R3, so I think she might have the stability over Goerges to win this one.
Kvitova d. Kontaveit in 3 sets – Brutal! There should be some big hitting in this clash. I would have been close to 50-50 yet Kvitova has played two hard court tournaments already while Kontaveit is playing her first since reaching the final in Gstaad last month.
Makarova d. Strycova in 2 sets – Makarova has looked a different player since winning DC. If she can maintain that confidence, I think her game is too strong for Strycova, who has been solid yet unspectacular in singles for much of the year.
Bertens d. Dodin in 3 sets – A bit of a coin toss, Bertens hasn’t played since the post-Wimby clay season where she won a title in Gstaad. Confidence is huge for Bertens and while she’s yet to win on hard courts, she has the wins in Gstaad to fall back on. Dodin pulled out of Toronto with dizziness, but had looked decent in DC.
Bellis d. Cornet in 2 sets – The pair played just two weeks ago in Stanford and Bellis won, 6-3 6-2. Cornet is on a six match losing streak and i’m not sure she has much that can trouble Bellis if the American continues to play at the level she produced in Stanford and Toronto.
Cibulkova d. Konjuh in 3 sets – I actually like Cibulkova to hold her seeding and take this. Konjuh won on grass at Wimbledon, her favourite surface, 7-6(3) 3-6 6-4. I think hard courts suits Cibulkova more and Konjuh pulled out of Toronto last week with a GI illness so may not be 100%. Cibulkova hasn’t looked that bad, just hasn’t been able to string the win together with confidence clearly down on last year. Konjuh is hit and miss.
Sevastova d. Peng in 2 sets or ret. – Would have gone with Peng in this one, yet I read she was bothered by a knee injury in Toronto.
Vinci d. Babos in 2 sets – Great to see Babos get a win in Toronto although she did only win one game against Radwanska in the second round. Vinci has won five of their six previous matches and i’d guess Babos will still be vulnerable considering her disappointing run of form between April and July.
Puig d. Townsend in 3 sets – Both players had gruelling second round qualies matches – Townsend saved two match points in a 6-7(2) 7-5 6-1 win over Carina Witthoeft while Puig was on the brink having missed match points in the 2nd set, eventually prevailing, 6-4 6-7(4) 7-5 over Mariana Duque-Mariño. Another toss-up for me, both are flashy and erratic.
WTA Cincinnati R1 Polls
WWW Poll
Full Draw Predictions
R1
Pliskova
Vekic
Siniakova
Gavrilova
Williams
Barty
Vesnina
Wozniacki
Muguruza
Haddad Maia
Kasatkina
Keys
Ostapenko
Suárez Navarro
Cepede Royg
Kuznetsova
Svitolina
Pavlyuchenkova
Abanda
Radwanska
Kvitova
Safarova
Makarova
Kerber
Konta
Bertens
Bellis
Cibulkova
Sevastova
Vinci
Puig
Halep
R2
Pliskova
Siniakova
Barty
Wozniacki
Muguruza
Keys
Ostapenko
Kuznetsova
Svitolina
Radwanska
Kvitova
Makarova
Konta
Bellis
Sevastova
Halep
R3
Pliskova
Wozniacki
Keys
Kuznetsova
Svitolina
Makarova
Konta
Halep
QF
Pliskova
Keys
Svitolina
Konta
SF
Pliskova
Konta
F
Konta
Export taken from Tennis Draw Challenge predictions
Moo's Tennis Blog 