Abu Dhabi Open 2023, Day 3: Women's singles prediction ft. Belinda Bencic vs Marta Kostyuk, Jelena Ostapenko vs Qinwen Zheng
Day 3 of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Open will take place on Wednesday, with four singles fixtures taking place at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre.
Second seed Belinda Bencic will look to book her place in the quarterfinals as she takes on Marta Kostyuk, while fifth seed Jelena Ostapenko will be up against Qinwen Zheng. Seventh seed Anett Kontaveit will face Shelby Rogers and fourth seed Veronika Kudermetova will take on Elise Mertens.
So, without further ado, let's take a look at the predictions for the women's singles matches on Day 3 of the Abu Dhabi Open.
#1 Belinda Bencic vs Marta Kostyuk
Second seed Belinda Bencic will start her campaign in Abu Dhabi against 20-year-old Marta Kostyuk. It will be the second meeting between the two, with the Swiss winning their previous encounter at last year's Miami Open.
Bencic has started the season well, winning eight out of ten matches so far. She made her way back to the top 10 of the WTA rankings by winning the Adelaide International 2 and followed it up by reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open, where she was beaten by eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka.
Kostyuk has had a pretty decent start to the season herself, winning six out of nine matches so far. She reached the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International 1 and the third round of the Australian Open.
Kostyuk beat the likes of Elena Rybakina and Amanda Anisimova last month, so she can't be taken lightly. However, Bencic's quality and recent run of form should see her make it to the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open.
Predicted Winner: Belinda Bencic
#2 Jelena Ostapenko vs Qinwen Zheng
Fifth seed Jelena Ostapenko will face the talented Qinwen Zheng in the second round of the Abu Dhabi Open. It will be the second meeting between the two, with Zheng beating the Latvian in their previous encounter at last year's US Open.
Ostapenko produced some brilliant tennis to reach the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. She faced a pretty tough opponent in Danielle Collins in the opening round of the Abu Dhabi Open and managed to edge past her 7-5, 1-6, 7-5.
Zheng hasn't had the best of starts to the season as she exited most of her tournaments earlier than expected. However, the Chinese put in a fine performance to beat Rebecca Marino 6-3. 6-3 in the first round in Abu Dhabi.
Zheng has beaten Ostapenko before and will enter the match in good spirits. However, the Latvian's grit and experience should see her just about edge out the Chinese and reach the quarterfinals.
Predicted Winner: Jelena Ostapenko
#3 Anett Kontaveit vs Shelby Rogers
Seventh seed Anett Kontaveit will face Shelby Rogers in the second round of the Abu Dhabi Open. It will be the fourth meeting between the two, with the Estonian leading 2-1 in the head-to-head.
Both players have won two out of five matches so far this season and won their respective opening-round fixtures in three sets. Rogers, however, had to go through the qualifying stages and will be feeling the effects of her previous encounters.
Kontaveit had a disappointing 2022 season, which saw her drop out of the top 10 of the WTA rankings. However, the Estonian should be able to get the better of Rogers and book her place in the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open.
Predicted Winner: Anett Kontaveit
#4 Veronika Kudermetova vs Elise Mertens
Fourth seed Veronika Kudermetova will be up against Elise Mertens at the Abu Dhabi Open on Wednesday. It will be the sixth meeting between the two, with Mertens leading the head-to-head 4-1.
Kudermetova had a decent start to the season as she reached the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International 1 and the semifinals of the Adelaide International 2 before withdrawing due to an injury. The Russian, however, suffered a disappointing second-round exit at the Australian Open.
Mertens reached the third round of the Melbourne Major before losing to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka. She produced a dominant performance to thrash Martina Trevisan in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Open and will enter her match against Kudermetova brimming with confidence, given the head-to-head record.
However, the Russian is a much better player since their last meeting in Rome in 2021. She should be able to get her second win over Mertens and seal her place in the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open.
Predicted winner: Veronika Kudermetova