Tokyo 2023 Day 2: Women's singles predictions ft. Veronika Kudermetova vs Harriet Dart | Toray Pan Pacific Open
Day 2 of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo will see the first round of the women's singles tournament continue, as six singles matches will take place.
Sixth seed Daria Kasatkina will be up against Marta Kostyuk in what will arguably be the most anticipated fixture of the day. Eighth seed Veronika Kudermetova will lock horns with Harriet Dart, while Donna Vekic will be up against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
The likes of Ekaterina Alexandrova and Petra Martic will also be in action. On that note, let's take a look at the predictions for some of the women's singles matches on Day 2 of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
#1 Veronika Kudermetova vs Harriet Dart
Eighth seed Veronika Kudermetova will take on Harriet Dart in the first round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.
It will be the second meeting between the two in the main draw of the WTA Tour, with Kudermetova winning their prior encounter 6-3, 6-4 at the Chicago Ladies Open in 2021.
While the Russian is among the seeded players, Dart had to go through the qualifiers in order to make it to the main draw in Tokyo. Kudermetova has won 27 out of 45 matches so far this season, while Dart has won just nine out of 23 main-draw fixtures.
The Russian will enter the match as the heavy favorite to win, and given her relatively better form, she should be able to get the win without much trouble.
Predicted Winner: Veronika Kudermetova.
#2 Donna Vekic vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Donna Vekic will lock horns with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open. It will be the very first meeting between the two.
Both players last appeared at the US Open, with Pavlyuchenkova reaching the second round while Vekic was beaten by Elina Svitolina in the second round.
Vekic has won 29 out of 44 matches so far this season, compared to Pavlyuchenkova's 9-9 record.
The Croat has produced several promising performances so far this season and while Pavyluchenkova can be a formidable opponent on her day, her opponent will just about managed to come out on top and reach the second round.
Predicted Winner: Donna Vekic.
#3 Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Anna Kalinskaya
Ekaterina Alexandrova will take on Anna Kalinskaya in the first round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open. It will be the third meeting between the two in the main draw of the WTA Tour, with Alexandrova winning both of their prior encounters.
The World No. 21 has won 30 out of 48 matches so far this season, compared to her opponent, who has triumphed in just 16 out of 28 clashes.
Alexandrova's form hasn't been particularly top-notch, but with her quality, she should be able to defeat Anna Kalinskaya and reach the second round.
Predicted Winner: Ekaterina Alexandrova.
#4 Petra Martic vs Misaki Doi
Petra Martic will face Misaki Doi in the first round of the Toray Pan Pacific Open. It will be the third meeting between the two, with their head-to-head currently tied at 1-1.
While Martic is unseeded in the main draw, Doi had to secure a place there by winning her qualifying matches.
The Croat has won 19 out of 38 main-draw matches on the WTA Tour so far in 2023, while Doi has mostly competed on the ITF circuit and played just one tour-level match earlier this month, which she lost.
Martic's superior ranking and more experience on the WTA Tour this season should see her come out on top comprehensively and reach the second round in Tokyo.
Predicted Winner: Petra Martic.