The 2019 WTA China Open continues on Tuesday, October 1 as some of the top players including Ash Barty take to court for their second round matches. Here’s Ash Barty v Yulia Putintseva & Sofa Kenin v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova tips, previews and predictions found below
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Ash Barty v Yulia Putintseva Predictions & Preview
This will be the second match between Ash Barty and Yulia Putintseva, having earlier played on clay at the Madrid Open this year. Barty had won that one but not before opponent took her to three sets. And it isn’t like clay is a surface that Barty usually struggles with, having won 11 of her 13 matches on it including a first Grand Slam title at the French Open.
On hard court surfaces this year, the Aussie world number one Barty is 27-8, which includes a title win at the Miami Open. She did make it to the fourth round at the US Open and the semi-final at Wuhan last week – which explains the first round bye – but the lack of titles since Birmingham in June would be grating at her.
Putintseva blanked Anna Blinkova 6-0, 6-1 in her opening round match here and that should give her a bit of confidence going up against the top seed. And while the hard court surfaces across the season have generally not been her favourite, Putintseva did make it to the fourth round at the Miami Open.
Question is if she can push Barty yet again or would it be plain sailing for the Aussie? We think it would be the latter.
Tip: Barty to win in two sets: 3/4 with Unibet
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Sofa Kenin v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova Predictions & Preview
This will be the second time that the world number 16 Sofia Kenin will be facing up to Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and coincidentally, it’s the second time in as many weeks! Kenin was a 6-2, 7-6 winner over her opponent in that first round match at Wuhan Open last week, and enters this tournament with some sterling form going her way.
This includes three title wins this season – her first ever – including one as recently as two weeks ago at Guangzhou Open on this Asian swing. She also made it to the third round at Wuhan where she was dispatched by Barty but a 6-0, 2-6, 6-2 win over Garbine Muguruza in the first round here showed she was back to go deeper into this tournament.
Her sterner test will come if she wins this match when she might face Elina Svitolina but for now, getting past a player who is 14-13 on hard court surfaces this year should not be a problem. The small bit to note here is Pavlyuchenkova had made it to the final at the Osaka Open where she defeated Kiki Bertens and Angelique Kerber, so Kenin would do well not to take her lightly.
Tip: Games Handicap Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova +4.5: 7/10 with Unibet
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Caroline Wozniacki v Christina McHale Predictions & Preview
In what will be their seventh meeting, Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki will take on Christina McHale in the second round of the China Open. Wozniacki leads 4-2 but they haven’t played since 2016, which makes it tougher to call.
The Dane, a former world number one, was a crushing winner over 6-1, 6-3 in the first round – and we got that one horribly wrong in our prediction! – but it’s tough to back Wozniacki given her record this year. On hard court surfaces, especially, she has been a letdown, winning not more than two matches in a row in any of the tournaments she has been a part of.
McHale has fallen to 90th in the world, needed the qualifiers to make it to the main draw here but more vitally shocked Svetlana Kuznetsova in the first round to set up this meeting. And while we believe Wozniacki will get through this one, a three-setter could be in the offing.
Tip: Three sets in the match: 2/1 with Unibet
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Angelique Kerber v Polona Hercog Predictions & Preview
Interesting to note that Angelique Kerber and Polona Hercog have met each other seven times on court and the German, former world number one is 5-2 on head to head. This includes a first round win at the Australian Open earlier this, an easy 6-2, 6-2 stroll for Kerber.
And despite Kerber’s scratchy form this year, it looks like it could be another stroll for her here. Having been stretched to three sets by Shuai Zhang in a match that saw fans of both players allegedly clash during the encounter, Kerber could well be looking for an easier passage to the third round here.
Why is that? Hercog’s poor showing on hard court surfaces this year that have seen her lost 15 of her 25 matches. She did beat Julia Goerges in her opener here but not before she needed three sets and two tie-breakers to get past her.
Tip: Kerber to win in straight sets: 6/5 with Unibet
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