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The action continues at the biggest WTA tournament of the week, the Charleston Open.
Ekaterina Alexandrova, who made it to the semifinals of the Miami Open last week, was eliminated by Taylor Townsend in the second round here. Dayana Yastremska, Madison Keys, and Lesia Tsurenko were the only other-seeded players to be knocked out so far.
Grand Slam champions Victoria Azarenka and Sloane Stephens won their matches, but Sofia Kenin and Caroline Wozniacki couldn't do the same. Thursday will see the completion of all the second and third-round matches.
On that note, here's a look at the predictions for some of the key matches lined up on Day 4 of the Charleston Open:
#1 - Jessica Pegula vs Magda Linette
Top seed Pegula rallied from a set down to beat compatriot Amanda Anisimova 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the second round of the Charleston Open. Linette defeated Petra Martic 6-3, 6-4 in the first round to snap her four-match losing streak.
She then overcame a dismal start to beat Dayana Yastremska 0-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the second round. This has already proven to be the best week of Linette's season after she notched up consecutive wins for the first time this year. Pegula managed to come out on top the only time she faced the Pole, which was at last year's Miami Open.
Linette's 4-23 record against top 10 opposition skews this match-up in Pegula's favor. Additionally, all of her top 10 wins have come at the Majors. The American will be expected to make it through this clash.
Predicted winner: Jessica Pegula
#2 - Elina Svitolina vs Daria Saville
After a strong start to the season, Svitolina has lost some of the momentum she had. She finished as the runner-up at the ASB Classic and then reached the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Svitolina then made it to the third round of the Qatar Open and Indian Wells Open but was dumped out of the Miami Open in the second round. Saville came through the qualifying rounds and then scored a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win over Tamara Korpatsch in the first round of the Charleston Open.
The two are now set to renew their rivalry after more than four years. Svitolina leads Saville 7-2 in the head-to-head. The Ukrainian won their previous encounter at the 2019 Wimbledon in straight sets, her sixth consecutive win over the Australian.
Saville did win their only match on clay, which was at the 2016 Madrid Open. However, that was before Svitolina established herself as a top player. The Ukrainian is amid a slowdown but should be able to make it through to the next round here.
Predicted winner: Elina Svitolina
#3 - Emma Navarro vs Jaqueline Cristian
Navarro commenced her Charleston Open campaign with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win over Katie Volynets in the second round. Cristian ousted Sachia Vickery in her opener and then upset eighth seed Madison Keys to reach the third round here.
Aside from a semifinal finish at the Transylvania Open, Cristian hadn't done much elsewhere until this week in Charleston. Navarro, on the other hand, has performed pretty well week after week and has compiled an impressive 21-7 record for the year. Based on their results, the American will be the favorite to advance further.
Predicted winner: Emma Navarro
#4 - Daria Kasatkina vs Anhelina Kalinina
Kasatkina fought past Ashlyn Krueger 6-3, 0-6, 6-1 to reach the third round of the Charleston Open. Kalinina proved to be too good for former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki as she downed her 6-3, 6-2. She previously defeated the Dane at the Miami Open a couple of weeks ago as well.
Kasatkina has a 3-1 edge in her rivalry against Kalinina. The Russian won their most recent duel at last year's Eastbourne International in straight sets. This will be the first time these two will fight it out on clay.
Both are quite comfortable on the surface. The French Open ranks amongst Kasatkina's best-performing tournaments and she captured her maiden WTA title at the Charleston Open back in 2017.
Kalinina was a runner-up at last year's Italian Open and reached an additional final on the red dirt in Budapest. Even though Kasatkina has blown hot and cold this year, her results have been better than her opponent. The Russian has a pretty good shot at continuing her run in Charleston.
Pick: Daria Kasatkina
