Monterrey Open 2023, Day 4: Women's singles predictions ft. Caroline Garcia vs Nuria Parrizas Diaz
The round of 16 of the 2023 Monterrey Open will continue on Day 4 of the tournament as the eight quarterfinalists will be decided.
Top seed Caroline Garcia is still the red-hot favorite to win the WTA 250 event and she will face Nuria Parrizas Diaz in the second round. Fourth seed Elise Mertens will be eager to reach her first singles quarterfinal of the 2023 season as she takes on Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
Seventh-seeded Mayar Sherif will lock horns with Wang Xiyu while eighth seed Elisabetta Cocciaretto will face Wimbledon 2022 semifinalist Tatjana Maria.
On that note, let's take a look at the predictions for the women's singles matches that will take place on Day 4 of the Monterrey Open.
#1. Caroline Garcia vs Nuria Parrizas Diaz
Top seed Caroline Garcia will face Nuria Parrizas Diaz in the second round of the Monterrey Open. It will be the very first meeting between the two.
Garcia has won 12 out of 17 matches so far this season but hasn't quite produced what one would call an impressive run. She reached the final of the Lyon Open by beating players well within her reach before losing to Alycia Parks, who was ranked 75 places below her at the time.
The Frenchwoman entered the Monterrey Open following a disastrous opening-round exit in Dubai. She booked her place in the second round with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Kaja Juvan.
Nuria Parrizas Diaz has won six out of 12 matches so far this season, with her best performance being reaching the third round of the Australian Open, where she beat 14th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the process.
The Spaniard reached the second round of the Monterrey Open after overcoming a tough fixture against Wang Xiyu. She beat the Chinese 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-4.
Garcia hasn't produced her best tennis so far in 2023 but she is clearly the superior of the two players and should be able to beat Parrizas Diaz without much trouble.
Predicted Winner: Caroline Garcia
#2. Elise Mertens vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse
Fourth seed Elise Mertens will face Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the second round of the Monterrey Open. It will be the second meeting between the two in the main draw of the WTA Tour, with Mertens winning their previous encounter 6-3, 6-1 at last year's French Open.
The two recently locked horns in the qualifying rounds of the Qatar Open, with the Belgian winning a tense match 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
Mertens has a 5-5 record so far in 2023, with her longest run in a tournament being reaching the third round of the Australian Open. The Belgian had a very strong start to the Monterrey Open as she thrashed Diana Shnaider 6-0, 6-4.
Elena-Gabriela Ruse hasn't played too much in the main draw of the WTA Tour so far this season, with a 2-2 record. The Romanian had to qualify for the Monterrey Open and booked her place in the second round with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Camila Giorgi.
Neither player has been particularly impressive so far this season, but Mertens' higher ranking and relatively better form might give her the edge.
Predicted winner: Elise Mertens.
#3. Mayar Sherif vs Wang Xinyu
Seventh seed Mayar Sherif will be up against Wang Xinyu in the second round of the Monterrey Open. It will be the very first meeting between the two.
Sherif has a 2-4 record so far in the 2023 season. Both of her wins have come after her opponent retired during the match. The Egyptian's first victory came at the Lyon Open when Ana Konjuh was forced to retire due to a leg injury. She lost to Linda Noskova in the following round.
Sherif competed at the Monterrey Open following an opening-round exit at the Merida Open. The 26-year-old faced Camila Osorio in the first round and was leading 7-6(5), 4-2 when the Colombian retired due to an injury.
Wang Xinyu has won five out of nine main-draw matches so far this season, most notably reaching the quarterfinals of the Hobart International. The 21-year-old entered the Monterrey Open after a second-round exit at the Merida Open. She booked her place in the round of 16 with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Sachia Vickery.
Despite Sherif being the higher-ranked player, Wang has fared better of late. Hence, there is a good chance the Chinese could beat the Egyptian and book her place in the quarterfinals.
Predicted Winner: Wang Xinyu
#4. Elisabetta Cocciaretto vs Tatjana Maria
Elisabetta Cocciaretto will face Tatjana Maria in the second round of the Monterrey Open. It will be the very first meeting between the two.
Cocciaretto has won seven out of 11 matches so far this season, most notably reaching the final of the Hobart International where she lost to Lauren Davis. She recently reached the quarterfinals of the Merida Open before losing to Katerina Siniakova.
The Italian booked her place in the second round of the Monterrey Open with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Marina Bassols Ribera.
Tatjana Maria has won only two out of six matches so far this season, with her first win coming in the opening round of the Hobart International against Talia Gibson. However, she lost to Anhelina Kalinina after that.
The German then suffered first-round exits at the Australian Open and Merida Open before competing at the Monterrey Open. She faced Lucia Bronzetti in the first round and thrashed her 6-1, 6-0.
Cocciaretto will enter the match as the favorite to win and should be able to beat Maria given her recent form,
Predicted Winner: Elisabetta Cocciaretto