The WTA Madrid crescendo goes a notch higher with some of the big guns joining the party on the fourth day. Among the several matches billed for the day is the potentially titanic battle between two seasoned clay court players, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Olga Danilovic. But who will advance?
WTA Madrid Day 4 Predictions
Maria Sakkari vs Magda Linette
Head–to–Head: Sakkari 0 vs 1 Linette
Magda Linette returns to the tour for the first time since her impressive performance in the Miami Open, where she reached the quarter-finals. She achieved notable victories over Ekaterina Alexandrova and Coco Gauff before being defeated by Jasmine Paolini in the last eight. Last season, she claimed her first WTA title on clay at the Prague Open, making this a banana peel for Sakkari, who has been quite inconsistent this season. However, she was resolute in her opener against Wang Xinyu, requiring a tie-breaker to cross the line in straight sets. While Sakkari can challenge anyone on her day, she has been out of sorts this season. Considering she hasn’t won consecutive matches this year, I think the trend is set to continue.
Prediction: Linette in 3
Elina Svitolina vs Sonay Kartal
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
Elina Svitolina is the overwhelming favourite due to her experience, clay court prowess, and current form. Her 7-0 clay record this year, combined with her tactical versatility, should allow her to control rallies and exploit Kartal’s relative inexperience. Kartal’s aggressive style may produce a few winners, but she is unlikely to sustain the consistency needed to upset Svitolina on clay.
Svitolina’s ability to extend rallies and force errors will likely frustrate Kartal, who has struggled against strong baseline players like Gracheva and Sabalenka. While Kartal could keep the first set competitive if her serve and forehand are firing, Svitolina’s superior movement and point construction should prevail in a comfortable victory.
Prediction: Svitolina in 2
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Olga Danilovic
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
Ekaterina Alexandrova has begun her clay court season on a very positive note, reaching the Charleston semifinals of the Charleston Open before losing to eventual champion Jessica Pegula in a hard-fought three sets. In Stuttgart last week, she defeated the all-conquering teenager Mirra Andreeva and avenged her previous loss to Pegula, reaching another semi-final, but fell short against Jelena Ostapenko, who also went on to win her title. Despite facing challenging defeats, Alexandrova should feel optimistic about making a significant impact here.
Nonetheless, she faces a challenging second-round matchup against Olga Danilovic. The Serbian continued her strong performance on clay this season, achieving 10 wins out of 11 matches with a straight-sets victory over two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka. This has the potential to be one of the most exciting matchups in the second round, with both players showcasing excellent form on the clay. However, based on their current form, we predict Alexandrova to prevail in a closely contested battle.
Prediction: Alexandrova in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports