Australian Open 2023, Day 8: Women's singles predictions ft. Aryna Sabalenka vs Belinda Bencic, Karolina Pliskova vs Zhang Shuai
The fourth round of the women's singles tournament at the 2023 Australian Open will continue on Day 8 on Monday, with four interesting matchups taking place.
Fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka will face 12th seed Belinda Bencic in what is expected to be a thrilling clash, while former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova will take on Zhang Shuai to vie for a place in the quarterfinals.
Fourth seed Caroline Garcia will look to continue her good run of form as she faces Magda Linette in the fourth round, while Donna Vekic will lock horns with Linda Fruhvirtova.
So, without any further ado, let's take a look at the predictions of the men's singles matches on Day 8 of the Australian Open.
#1. Aryna Sabalenka vs Belinda Bencic
5th seed Aryna Sabalenka will face 12th seed Belinda Bencic with a place in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open up for grabs.
Sabalenka suffered a fourth-round at last year's Asia-Pacific Major but has a good chance of progressing to the last eight this time given her recent run of form. The Belarusian started the 2023 season by winning the Adelaide International 1 without dropping a single set.
She carried that form into the Australian Open and reached the fourth round following straight-set wins over Tereza Martincova, Shelby Rogers and Elise Mertens.
Sabalenka faces a very tough opponent in the round of 16 in Belinda Bencic, who has won eight out of nine matches so far this season. The Swiss won the Adelaide International 2 and subsequently returned to the Top 10 of the WTA rankings.
Bencic looks in pretty good touch and will give Sabalenka a tough fight. However, the latter should just about manage to eke out a win and reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
Predicted winner: Aryna Sabalenka
#2. Caroline Garcia vs Magda Linette
Fourth seed Caroline Garcia produced some magnificent performances last season which helped her return to the top 5 of the WTA rankings. The Frenchwoman will fancy her chances of winning the Australian Open now that Iga Swiatek is out.
However, she will have to get the better of Magda Linette, who ousted two seeded players in Ekaterina Alexandrova and Anett Kontaveit in her last two matches.
The Pole looks in good shape at the moment and will no doubt enter the match in good spirits. However, it's hard to rule out the possibility of Garcia winning this one given her form over the past few months.
Predicted winner: Caroline Garcia
#3. Karolina Pliskova vs Zhang Shuai
30th seed Karolina Pliskova will face Zhang Shuai in the fourth round of the Australian Open. It will be the eighth meeting between the two, with Pliskova winning all of their prior encounters.
The Czech had a poor run of form throughout most of the 2022 season and fell down the rankings as a result. She had a shaky start to the 2023 season, losing her first two main-draw matches. However, she has done well at the Australian Open so far, winning all of her matches in straight sets.
Zhang Shuai produced some good performances towards the latter stages of the 2022 season, which helped her return to the top 25 of the WTA rankings. The Chinese had a disappointing start to 2023, losing in the opening round of the Adelaide International 1 while failing to make it to the main draw of the Adelaide International 2.
However, she has done well to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open and will look to reach her second quarterfinal at the Melbourne Major. While Zhang is ranked higher than Pliskova, the latter's recent run of form might see her get the win and reach the last eight.
Predicted winner: Karolina Pliskova
#4. Donna Vekic vs Linda Fruhvirtova
Donna Vekic will face Linda Fruhvirtova in the fourth round of the Australian Open. It will be the very first meeting between the two players and both will be eager to reach the quarterfinals of the Asia-Pacific Major.
Vekic won each of her five matches in 2023 and eliminated 18th seed Liudmila Samsonova in the second round of the Australian Open. Fruhvirtova may not have beaten any seeded players in Melbourne but has produced some impressive performances that keep showing why she is one to watch out for in the future.
Vekic might be a higher-ranked player, but Fruhvirtova is gradually showing her potential and might manage to win the match.
Predicted winner: Linda Fruhvirtova