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Day 3 of the Charleston Open will see the second-round fixtures resume.
Top seed Jessica Pegula will aim to book her place in the third round as she takes on Anna Blinkova. Meanwhile, defending champion Belinda Bencic will be up against Katherine Sebov.
Seventh seed Ekaterina Alexandrova will face Yulia Putintseva while Sofia Kenin will square off against Madison Keys. The likes of Paula Badosa and Madison Keys will also be in action on Wednesday.
So, without any further ado, let's take a look at the predictions for some of the matches that will take place on Day 3 of the Charleston Open.
#1 Jessica Pegula vs Anna Blinkova
Top seed Jessica Pegula will square off against Anna Blinkova in the second round of the Charleston Open. It will be the very first meeting between the two players on the WTA Tour.
Pegula received a bye to the second round of the Charleston Open by virtue of being one of the seeded players. Blinkova, on the other hand, beat Jule Niemeier 6-4, 6-1 in the first round.
Pegula has won 19 out of 25 matches so far this season and played an instrumental role in the United States winning the United Cup. She reached the final of the Qatar Open as well as the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships and, most recently, the Miami Open.
Blinkova, on the other hand, has won only eight out of 16 matches so far in 2023. Her best performance came at the Hobart International, where she reached the semifinals.
Pegula is by far the superior player of the two and should be able to book her place in the third round without too much trouble.
Predicted Winner: Jessica Pegula.
#2 Belinda Bencic vs Katherine Sebov
Defending champion Belinda Bencic will take on Canadian qualifier Katherine Sebov in the second round of the Charleston Open. It will be the very first meeting between the two.
Bencic reached the second round of the WTA 500 event by virtue of being one of the top eight seeds. Sebov, meanwhile, beat Lauren Davis 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the first round after qualifying for the main draw of the tournament.
Bencic started the season brilliantly by winning two titles in Adelaide and Dubai. However, the Swiss suffered early exits in Indian Wells and Miami, the latter defeat causing her to drop out of the top 10 of the WTA rankings.
Sebov, on the other hand, has only played two main-draw matches in this season's WTA Tour, winning two so far.
Bencic will enter the match as the overwhelming favorite to win and should be able to eliminate the Canadian to book her place in the third round of the Charleston Open.
Predicted Winner: Belinda Bencic.
#3 Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Yulia Putintseva
Seventh seed Ekaterina Aledxandrova will face Yulia Putintseva in the second round of the Charleston Open. It will be the very first encounter between the two.
Alexandrova received a bye into the second round due to being one of the top eight seeds. Meanwhile, Putintseva came back from a set down to defeat Elina Svitolina 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-4 in the latter's first match in over a year.
Alexandrova has won seven out of 13 matches so far this season, most recently reaching the quarterfinals of the Miami Open. Her upcoming opponent has won only six out of 15 matches so far this season, with her best performance being reaching the last eight of the Hobart International.
The Russian, meanwhile, is coming off of a good run in Miami. She will fancy her chances of beating Putintseva and reaching the third round of the Charleston Open.
Predicted Winner: Ekaterina Alexandrova.
#4 Sofia Kenin vs Irina-Camelia Begu
Sofia Kenin will face 15th seed Irina-Camelia Begu in the second round of the Charleston Open. It will be the second meeting between the two, with Kenin beating the Romanian 6-3, 6-2 in their previous encounter in Cleveland last year.
The American booked her place in the second round with a 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-1 win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich while Begu beat Dalma Galfi 6-1, 7-5.
Both players have a win percentage of 50% so far this season, with Kenin winning eight out of 16 matches while Begu has triumphed in six out of her 12 matches.
Begu might be the higher-ranked player, but Kenin has produced some promising performances lately. There is a fair chance the 2020 Australian Open champions might just about be able to edge out her opponent and reach the third round of the Charleston Open.
Predicted Winner: Sofia Kenin.
