Australian Open 2020, Day 6: Women's singles predictions
We have seen some major upsets already in the Australian Open women's draw. The two favourites for the title, Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, both lost unceremoniously on Day 5, throwing the tournament wide open.
This is undoubtedly welcome news for the other half of the draw's main contenders, who now know they will not have to face either Osaka or Williams in the final should they make it that far. Before getting ahead of ourselves, however, let's take a closer look at the upcoming third-round matches of Belinda Bencic, Simona Halep and Karolina Pliskova.
Belinda Bencic vs Anett Kontaveit
Tomorrow we will see Switzerland's Belinda Bencic face Anett Kontaveit in her third-round match. The Swiss has been in good shape so far, and won her first two matches with little problems.
She impressively dismissed Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets in her last match, and looks as though she will be hard to beat in her current form. Bencic and Kontaveit have never played against each another before, so it will be a new experience for both players.
Though we have had some major upsets in the women's draw so far, don't expect this match to be one of them. Bencic is the clear favorite to win and given her level of play thus far, it should be a fairly one-sided affair.
Prediction: Bencic to win in straight sets.
Simona Halep vs Yulia Putintseva
Next, we have Simona Halep taking on Yulia Putintseva. Halep has been in impeccable form so far and has swept past both of her opponents effortlessly. With Osaka and Williams now out of the tournament, Halep is perhaps the favorite to win the title.
The Romanian is starting to get on a roll, and a confident win tomorrow will be further indication that she is primed for a real shot at the title.
Prediction: Halep to win in straight sets.
Karolina Pliskova vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Finally, we will see Karolina Pliskova take on Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The pair have quite the tennis history, albeit a one-sided one. Pliskova has won all six encounters against Pavlyuchenkova and dropped just one set throughout.
Both players are yet to drop a set in Melbourne, but come tomorrow this will change one way or another. Taking their history, ranking and form all into consideration, Pliskova will most likely win this match.
Although head-to-heads don't define the outcome of a tennis match, the psychological edge one gets from having a positive record against a player cannot be undermined. Pliskova has been fearsome so far, and I suspect she will win this match in straight sets.
Prediction: Pliskova to win in straight sets.
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