Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Australian Open match.
Despite Wang Yafan's relatively high ranking (64th), she has not faced Daria Kasatkina before. Will the Russian navigate this match as easily as she did against her first-round opponent?
Wang Yafan
The Chinese player encountered difficulties in her opening match against Hungary's Anna Bondar, winning only after three sets (3:6, 6:3, 6:4) over 2 hours and 13 minutes. Wang was genuinely at risk of losing, but Bondar converted just two of her 11 break points, many of which resulted from Wang's six double faults. If she struggled against the World No. 92, what will happen against the World No. 10?
Daria Kasatkina
The ninth seed at the tournament breezed past her obstacle in the form of Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova, securing a win of 6:1, 6:3 in just an hour and seven minutes. Notably, Tomova and Wang Yafan are closely ranked at 58th and 64th, respectively, with the Bulgarian slightly ahead. This suggests Kasatkina might handle Wang just as effortlessly. We believe she will. The Russian has already competed in two Australian tournaments, winning three of five matches and reaching the quarter-finals in Adelaide. In contrast, Wang lost her only match in the Brisbane qualifier due to a wrist injury, retiring in the second set (4:6, 0:2).
Wang Yafan vs Daria Kasatkina Prediction
Though Wang has had two weeks to recover, the injury is still likely to affect her shot power, giving Kasatkina a much greater chance to secure a comfortable victory.
