Stuttgart 2023 Day 3: Women's singles predictions ft. Aryna Sabalenka vs Barbora Krejcikova | Porsche Tennis Grand Prix

Day 3 of the 2023 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart will take place on Wednesday, April 19. Five women's singles matches will take place -- three in the first round and two in the second round.

Aryna Sabalenka will square off against Barbora Krejcikova while Ons Jabeur will face Jelena Ostapenko. Coco Gauff will lock horns with Veronika Kudermetova while Elena Rybakina and Karolina Pliskova will take on Jule Niemeier and Karolina Pliskova respectively.

So, without further ado, let's take a look at the predictions of some of the women's singles matches that will take place on Day 3 of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

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#1. Aryna Sabalenka vs Barbora Krejcikova

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka will take on Barbora Krejcikova in the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. It will be the sixth meeting between the two, with Sabalenka leading 4-1 in the head-to-head.

Both players have already faced each other thrice in 2023. Krejcikova won in Dubai while Sabalenka came out on top in Indian Wells and Miami.

Sabalenka has been in sensational form so far this season, winning the Australian Open. Krejcikova has also produced some very good performances, most notably winning the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Both players are capable of doing well on clay and we could be in for a thrilling encounter in Stuttgart.

Predicted Winner: Aryna Sabalenka.

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#2. Karolina Pliskova vs Maria Sakkari

Eighth seed Maria Sakkari will square off against Karolina Pliskova in the first round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. It will be the seventh meeting between the two, with their head-to-head currently tied at 3-3.

Pliskova and Sakkari have already faced each other twice so far this season, with the Czech winning 6-1, 6-2 at the Dubai Tennis Championships while the Greek triumphed 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Sakkari has won 16 out of 23 matches so far this season while Pliskova has triumphed in 11 out of 18. The fixture promises to be exciting and either player has a good chance of coming out on top.

Predicted Winner: Maria Sakkari.

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#3. Ons Jabeur vs Jelena Ostapenko

Third seed Ons Jabeur will take on Jelena Ostapenko in the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. It will be the fourth meeting between the two, with Ostapenko leading 2-1 in the head-to-head.

Jabeur received a walkover to the second round in Stuttgart while the Latvian booked her place by defeating Emma Raducanu 6-2, 6-1. The Tunisian has won nine out of 13 matches so far this season while Ostapenko has come out on top in 13 out of 21.

Ostapenko is capable of putting up a tough fight but Jabeur should be able to get the win and move on to the quarterfinals in Stuttgart.

Predicted Winner: Ons Jabeur.

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#4. Elena Rybakina vs Jule Niemeier

Sixth seed Elena Rybakina will be up against German wildcard Jule Niemeier in the first round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. It will be the very first meeting between the two players.

Rybakina has been in terrific form so far this season, winning 21 out of 26 matches with the BNP Paribas Open title to her name. She also reached the finals of the Miami Open and the Australian Open.

Niemeier, on the other hand. has fared poorly so far this season, winning only two out of ten matches. Her best results have been the second round appearances at the Lyon Open and the Linz Open. The 23-year-old is currently on a five-match losing streak.

Rybakina has won 33 out of 50 matches so far on clay while Niemeier has triumphed in nine out of 18 matches.The Kazakh will enter the match as the favorite to win and should have little trouble winning given her current form.

Predicted Winner: Elena Rybakina