Jelena Ostapenko vs Anastasia Zakharova Prediction, WTA Seoul Day 2 Betting Tips

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Day two at WTA Seoul brings nine first round matches to the court as the Asian swing starts to find its rhythm. Several of the top seeds are making their tournament debuts today, and there is plenty to get stuck into across the schedule. Here are my predictions for the matches on offer.

Taylah Preston vs Himeno Sakatsume

These two have never faced each other before, so there is no head to head record to draw on. Preston is one of the more exciting young players on tour right now. The 20 year old Australian started this season outside the top 200 and has since broken into the top 100, which tells you everything about the kind of year she has been having. She picked up a WTA 125 title in Vancouver and plays an aggressive brand of tennis that suits hard courts well. Sakatsume is no pushover though and brings good consistency and solid court coverage to this match. She impressed at the US Open with a run through qualifying and a first round win over Kalinina.

This should be a competitive match and Sakatsume will make Preston work for it. But the Australian’s form, her comfort on hard courts, and the momentum she has built throughout the season should carry her through.

Prediction: Preston in 3

Eva Lys vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse

Another first time meeting, and one that looks fairly straightforward on paper despite the surface concerns around the fourth seed. Lys has endured a difficult 2025 by her own standards, slipping from inside the top 40 down to around 100th in the world. A deep run in Seoul would do her confidence the world of good, but to get there she needs to beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse right out of the gate, and that is a tough ask given the Romanian’s relative consistency this year.

Ruse is not someone who thrives most on hard courts, that much is fair to say, but she is a solid enough performer on any surface and she has had a far more productive season than Lys. An out of form German player against a higher seeded Romanian who has been ticking along nicely all year points in one direction. Ruse should take this one, even if it goes the distance.

Prediction: Ruse in 3

Robin Montgomery vs Sohyun Park

No previous meetings between these two. Montgomery has had a mixed season overall but reaching her first WTA final in Den Bosch was a real highlight and showed what she is capable of at this level. Outside of that result she has found wins hard to come by in main draws, so she will be keen to build some momentum here. She gets a relatively favourable opening match against Park, who is ranked 329th in the world and is yet to win a tour level match.

Park will have the crowd behind her playing on home soil in Korea, and that counts for something. But the gap in experience and quality between these two is substantial. Montgomery should be able to impose her game without too many problems.

Prediction: Montgomery in 2

Jelena Ostapenko vs Anastasia Zakharova

Ostapenko leads their head to head one win to nil after the two met earlier this season. The top seed comes into Seoul on a four match losing streak, which is not ideal, but this tournament has historically been a happy hunting ground for the Latvian. She won the title here back in 2017 and made the final in 2022, so there is genuine familiarity and comfort with these conditions. Whether she can recapture some of her best tennis after looking flat in recent outings is the key question.

Zakharova pushed her in their previous meeting and is not someone to take lightly, but this match lives or dies on Ostapenko’s racquet. When she is hitting cleanly and dictating play, very few players at this level can handle her. As top seed in a tournament she has fond memories of, the expectation is that she finds something closer to her best level here.

Prediction: Ostapenko in 3

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