Three fourth round picks from the WTA French Open today, and there's a decent amount to chew on across all three. We've got a couple of high-ranked matchups and one first meeting between two players who've both had interesting seasons, so let's get into it.
WTA French Open Predictions
Elina Svitolina vs Belinda Bencic
Head-to-head: Svitolina 4-2 Bencic
Svitolina leads this one pretty comfortably and has been the more consistent player on clay over the years, but Bencic is no pushover and these two have had some tight matches before. The 4-2 record doesn't tell you everything here, and I think Bencic's ball-striking on slower surfaces can cause problems when she's timing it well.
That said, Svitolina's defensive game on clay is really hard to break down and she's become so good at not panicking in long rallies. I feel like this one goes the distance, but Svitolina's experience at this stage of tournaments should be the difference.
Prediction: Svitolina in 3
Marta Kostyuk vs Iga Swiatek
Head-to-head: Kostyuk 0-3 Swiatek
Kostyuk is a solid clay-court player and she's had a good season, but Swiatek on clay is a completely different problem from anyone else on tour. The 0-3 head-to-head, none of those losses coming particularly close, doesn't surprise me at all.
Hard to see this being competitive at all. The heavy topspin, the relentless depth, the way she extends points until the other player cracks. Kostyuk will make it competitive in patches but this is Swiatek's surface and her tournament to lose.
Prediction: Swiatek in 3
Iva Jovic vs Naomi Osaka
Head-to-head: First meeting
First meeting between these two, and both have had up-and-down seasons so it's genuinely hard to call. Jovic is young and has shown flashes of real quality, but Osaka's firepower off both wings on indoor clay is a tough ask for anyone at this stage of a tournament. Osaka's serve in particular gives her a free point or two every service game, and that adds up on a slow surface where breaks are otherwise hard to come by.
Osaka in three seems right here. She's got the bigger weapons and the experience of playing deep in these events, even if her form hasn't been totally consistent lately and that's worth keeping in mind.
Prediction: Osaka in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
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