Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Cincinnati match.
One of the standout ties in the Cincinnati round of 32 sees world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka take on Emma Raducanu (No. 39). The intrigue is heightened by the fact that Sabalenka took a full month off and is now working her way back to peak condition.
Aryna Sabalenka
Despite the layoff, Sabalenka has returned in excellent shape. In her first match on US soil she overcame Marketa Vondrousova (No. 59) in straight sets (7:5, 6:1), delivering her trademark aggressive baseline game and holding serve in every service game. She also showed no sign of rust, converting every one of her break-point chances (10 in total).
Emma Raducanu
Raducanu also cruised through her opener, beating Olga Danilovic (No. 43) (6:3, 6:2). However, that result should be viewed in context — the Brit regularly beats lower-ranked players but struggles badly against top opposition. A recent example came in Montreal, where Amanda Anisimova (No. 8) dismantled her (6:2, 6:1) in the last 32.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Emma Raducanu Prediction
Sabalenka and Raducanu met at Wimbledon this summer, with the Belarusian winning 7-6, 6-4 in a match that never truly caught fire. Now they face off on hard courts, where Raducanu’s record is notably weaker than on grass. It’s hard to see her taking a set against the world No. 1 in current form.
