No. 8 seed Emma Navarro reached the semifinals at the National Bank Open last year, with the women’s event held in Toronto then. Now she makes her first WTA Montreal appearance and will take on Canadian veteran Rebecca Marino. Washington runner-up Anna Kalinskaya is also in action on Tuesday, taking on Ann Li. Who do you think will prevail?
WTA Montreal Day 3 Predictions
Ashlyn Krueger vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
Head-to-head: First meeting
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro was in trouble in her opening round, just barely managing to fight back against Louisa Chirico. Maybe she can handle herself better against Ashlyn Krueger as the matchup will be a battle for control over the baseline. The American keeps looking for a breakthrough result, but has been pretty inconsistent this year. Theoretically, hard courts in North America is where she should be rounding into form. Let’s see how quickly she finds it.
Prediction: Krueger in 3
Ann Li vs Anna Kalinskaya
Head-to-head: Li 1-0
Ann Li defeated Anna Kalinskaya earlier this year in Singapore, but that was via retirement. The Russian had her best week of the season in Washington just now, before getting easily outmaneuvered by Leylah Fernandez in the final. Nonetheless, the wins she gained along the way should help her confidence as the North American swing heats up. Kalinskaya has an imposing game and should be able to put early pressure on Li in the rallies with her flat ball-striking.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 2
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Suzan Lamens vs Beatriz Haddad Maia
Head-to-head: Lamens 1-0
The 10-20 win-loss record says a lot about Beatriz Haddad Maia’s form this season, but then again the last couple of months were actually a tiny bit better from the Brazilian. She lost her only match against Suzan Lamens at an ITF in Oeiras four years ago when she was still returning to her peak level. Now seems like the moment to get back at the Dutchwoman, but she has to be wary of her ability to sneak out good wins that don’t make much sense on paper.
Prediction: Haddad Maia in 3
Emma Navarro vs Rebecca Marino
Head-to-head: Navarro 2-0
Rebecca Marino earned an important win in the opening round here and showed she still has that firepower that once made her a very dangerous player. But Emma Navarro might just be a little too far out of her range right now. Their previous encounters were relatively close, especially the first one, but they haven’t come up against each other since Navarro became a top player. The American is in another league right now and has a game solid enough to make it tough for Marino to blast her off the court.
Prediction: Navarro in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images