St. Petersburg Scores – 10 / 20 (50%)

St. Petersburg Final Prediction for Sunday

Day 7 Scores – 0/1

Putintseva d. Mladenovic in 3 sets – Deliberated over this one for a while. Mladenovic has the weapons, but Putintseva has the variety and defence to negate these. The head-to-head is even so I think it comes down to who shows up with the better performance on the day! With a first title on the line, there will be nerves and it’s difficult to know how both players will react. It’s a first final for Putintseva and I worry about how she will deal her emotions – i’m impressed though with the way she has gone about beating Kuznetsova and Cibulkova. 52-48 in favour of Poots!

St. Petersburg Final Poll for Sunday

St. Petersburg SF Predictions for Saturday

Day 6 Scores – 1/2

Mladenovic d. Vikhlyantseva in 3 sets – Really nice to see Mladenovic playing well, her game is too good for her to be languishing outside of the world’s top 50. After having played a tough three setter against the impressive Vikhlyantseva in ‘s-Hertgoenbosch last year, I don’t think the Frenchwoman will underestimate her potential. Mladenovic does worry with me with her nerves at closing out matches but I saw a lot of good stuff in her match against Vinci so going for her to win this.

Cibulkova d. Putintseva in 3 sets – Another first-time match-up for Putintseva who was brilliant against Kuznetsova. Cibulkova’s looked good this week and I think she might have the power to win this in straights. Putintseva’s variety is a bit of a wildcard so really looking to seeing how this one unfolds.

St. Petersburg SF Polls for Saturday

St. Petersburg QF Predictions for Friday

Day 5 Scores – 1/3

Sorry for missing Thursday, had a busy few days!

Halep d. Vikhlyantseva in 3 sets – Watched highlights of Vikhlyantseva’s match against Kasatkina and my my, she has some impressive groundstrokes! I was very impressed to see Halep advance past Konjuh after her recent issues with the knee. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Vikhlyantseva win a set but Halep for the win.

Vinci d. Mladenovic in 2 sets – A good week for Mladenovic having come into this tournament without any singles wins on the tour in 2017. Vinci won their only previous match and one that I remember well at the US Open in the quarter-finals where the Italian prevailed, 6-3 5-7 6-4. I’d go for Vinci with her ability to mix up the play effectively and consistently.

Kuznetsova d. Putintseva in 2 sets – Surprisingly have never played, I think Kuznetsova does everything a little bit better.

Cibulkova d. Vesnina in 3 sets – I went for an all-unseeded match-up here but it’s the seeds that have prevailed! Vesnina leads the head-to-head, 4-3 and won their last encounter in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon. Cibulkova didn’t quite seem up for that match, physically or mentally. I’d expect another close match-up in keeping with the head-to-head and Cibulkova to squeak through.

St. Petersburg R2 Predictions for Wednesday

Day 4 Scores – 2/4

Konjuh d. Halep in 3 sets – Hmmm i’m struggling to make my mind up on this match. I’d go for a fully-fit Halep but I still think the knee is a concern. Konjuh is more than competent enough to take advantage if Halep is still bothered by the injury.

Kasatkina d. Vikhlyantseva in 2 sets – Looking forward to watching some of Vikhlyantseva soon. Going for Dasha in straights.

Putintseva d. Beck in 3 sets – I feel a lot depends on Putintseva’s temperament in this match as Beck normally delivers a reasonably solid level. Putintseva has more bite and variety to her game which has the edge for me. The pair are tied at 1-1 in their head-to-head with Beck winning their last match in Cincy in 2016 for the loss of just five games.

Kuznetsova d. Gavrilova in 2 sets – Kuznetsova has been reliable in the early matches of tournaments for a while now. I didn’t see much from Gavrilova in her first round win to suggest she can upset Kuznetsova in this match but you never know with the WTA! A three set rambling win for Kuznetsova wouldn’t surprise me but i’ll go for a straight setter with at least one tight set.

St. Petersburg R2 Poll for Wednesday

St. Petersburg R1 Prediction for Wednesday

Day 3 Scores – 0/1

Makarova d. Vesnina in 2 sets – Vesnina’s the seed, but Makarova has dominated the head-to-head.

St. Petersburg R1 poll for Wednesday

St. Petersburg R1 Predictions for Tuesday

Day 2 Scores – 5/6

Vinci d. Babos in 2 sets – Vinci won their last match in St. Petersburg, which was actually her toughest match of the week en route to winning her biggest title. Babos has yet to win a match this year and I like Vinci on these courts and in this particular match-up.

Petkovic d. Begu in 2 sets – Petkovic played qualies which I think is actually the best thing for her right now to build up some confidence. Begu’s been erratic this year but the game is there if she finds some form. With three wins under her belt, i’d give Petkovic the nod in this one.

Cornet d. Flipkens in 3 sets – Cornet leads a colourful head-to-head, 5-3. Flipkens on a fast court can be a lethal combination but I think Cornet will wear her down.

Ostapenko d. Voegele in 3 sets – A heads up for Voegele who has enjoyed an excellent start to the year with nine match wins, qualifying for the main draws of Melbourne and St. Petersburg. This will be a solid test of Ostapenko’s credentials. I’d go for the Latvian player who I think will like these courts.

Kasatkina d. Bencic in 3 sets – This match-up pains me, I want them both to win! I fancy it to go three sets and the winner to have a great shot at the final. I went for Kasatkina because I think she might be a little more secure from the baseline and i’m still a little wary of Bencic’s lack of matches over the past six months. BB got hosed with her last two draws 😦

Putintseva d. Larsson in 2 sets – I’m being drawn to Poots in this one and i’m not really sure why! Larsson, who pulled out of the AO with a gastrointestinal illness, won their last match in straights in Bastad. This was at her home tournament where Larsson has always performed strongly.

Mertens d. Mladenovic in 3 sets – I don’t take too much away from Merten’s comprehensive 6-1 6-2 victory over Mladenovic in Hobart as the Frenchwoman had little time to prepare from the Hopman Cup. However, i’d still fancy an in-form Mertens to win this. Mladenovic has been below-par in singles so far this year.

Konjuh d. Niculescu in 3 sets – Fascinating match-up, Konjuh is a little bit of a mystery but I think she’ll find a way past Niculescu. She’s played the Romanian player before which will be a big help.

St. Petersburg R1 polls for Tuesday

St. Petersburg R2 polls

St. Petersburg R1 Predictions for Monday

Day 1 Scores – 1/3

Gavrilova d. Kalinskaya in 2 sets – Going for Gavrilova with more experience and after an improved series of displays at the Australian Open having struggled in singles action early on at the Hopman Cup. Kalinskaya is an up-and-comer at 18 years old and reached the final of the French Open juniors.

Bertens d. Beck in 2 sets – Bertens has a 6-0 head-to-head record and won convincingly in Hobart just a few weeks ago. Beck has lost her last five matches on tour. It all seems a bit one-sided and always wary with these types of match-ups on the WTA tour because they can turn. I’m nowhere near brave enough to go for it!

Shvedova d. Vikhlyantseva in 3 sets – I’d go for Shvedova to bag her first win of the year, it has to come somewhere! Vikhlyantseva had a good run in Melbourne so expect a battle.

WWW Poll

Full Draw Predictions

R1
Halep
Konjuh
Shvedova
Kasatkina
Williams
Mertens
Petkovic
Vinci
Bertens
Putintseva
Gavrilova
Kuznetsova
Makarova
Cornet
Ostapenko
Cibulkova

R2
Halep
Kasatkina
X
Vinci
Putintseva
Kuznetsova
Makarova
Ostapenko

QF
Kasatkina
Vinci
Kuznetsova
Makarova

SF
Kasatkina
Kuznetsova

F
Kuznetsova

Export taken from Tennis Draw Challenge predictions

All correct predictions are coloured in GREEN and all incorrect predictions are coloured in RED

All WTA drawsheets can be found HERE