Three picks from the WTA Canadian Open for you today, and there's a genuinely interesting one at the top of the card. Who do you think makes it through?
WTA Canadian Open Predictions
Elina Svitolina vs Amanda Anisimova
Head-to-head: Svitolina 4-1 Anisimova
Svitolina has had Anisimova's number pretty consistently, and the one loss in that head-to-head feels like an outlier more than a trend. Svitolina's game is built for hard court and her ability to stay composed and grind through long matches is exactly what makes her difficult to beat at this level. Anisimova is capable of hitting through anyone on a good day, but her results have been inconsistent and she hasn't really strung together the kind of form that would make you back her here.
I think this goes three sets, with Svitolina finding a way to close it out as she usually does against this opponent, all things considered.
Prediction: Svitolina in 3
Aryna Sabalenka vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Head-to-head: Sabalenka 5-4 Alexandrova
That head-to-head is closer than you'd expect given the ranking gap, but Sabalenka has pulled away from Alexandrova significantly in the last couple of years and this feels like a different matchup than it used to be. Sabalenka's serving and ball-striking on hard courts make her almost impossible to drag into a long match, and Alexandrova, while solid, doesn't really have the weapons to trouble her at full tilt.
Hard to see this being competitive at all.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Alexandra Eala vs Belinda Bencic
Head-to-head: First meeting
Bencic is back and playing well after her return from maternity leave, and Eala, despite a strong ranking, is still relatively new to competing at this level consistently. That said, first meetings are always a bit of a wildcard, but Bencic's experience, built up over years of big hard-court matches, and her clean, efficient ball-striking should give her the advantage here. It's a tough draw for Eala.
Prediction: Korneeva in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Leonardo Ramirez/eyepix via ZUMA Press Wire