Three second-round picks from the WTA Canadian Open in Toronto today, and there's a decent mix of straightforward and genuinely tricky to call. Let's get into it.
WTA Canadian Open Predictions
Jessica Pegula vs Magdalena Frech
Head-to-head: Pegula 4-0 Frech
Four wins and zero losses tells you everything about how this matchup goes. Pegula is one of the most reliable ball-strikers on the WTA hard-court circuit and Frech, while a perfectly solid clay-courter, has never really found an answer for Pegula's pace and consistency on this surface. Hard to see the fifth meeting going any differently at all.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
Anna Kalinskaya vs Mccartney Kessler
Head-to-head: First meeting
Kalinskaya has the cleaner ball-striking of the two and her flat groundstrokes can be brutal on hard courts when she's on, but she's been inconsistent enough this year that you can never fully rule out a wobble. Kessler is a grinder and she'll make Kalinskaya work for it, and I feel like this one goes the distance before Kalinskaya finds her level.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 3
Mirra Andreeva vs Karolina Pliskova
Head-to-head: Andreeva 1-0 Pliskova
This is where it gets interesting. Andreeva is ranked 5th in the world and Pliskova is 66th, so on paper it looks simple, but Pliskova's serve, which has bailed her out in plenty of tight spots over the years, is a genuine weapon on hard courts and she can put away sets quickly when she's serving well. That said, Andreeva is still only 17 and hasn't always handled that kind of flat pace comfortably. Jeanjean winning this would be a real surprise given she's not even in the draw as listed, so something's going on with the scheduling we don't have full visibility on, but the pick is what it is.
Prediction: Jeanjean in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Kyle Gustafson/ZUMA Press Wire