Day 4 at the Korea Open in Seoul brings us the second batch of Round of 16 matches, and there is plenty to get stuck into. A Korean wildcard is hoping to feed off home support, Jelena Ostapenko is hunting another title on a swing where she always seems to turn it on, and a couple of the other contests look tight enough to stretch to a deciding set. Here are my calls for every match on the schedule.
Ma Yexin has been one of the more understated improvers on tour this year. She goes about her business quietly, builds her points well from the baseline, and her serve has developed enough to give her a genuine platform against better players. She leads the head to head after their one previous meeting, which counts for something in terms of knowing how to handle Birrell.
That said, Birrell is exactly the kind of opponent who makes these mid-tier matches tricky to call. The Australian is a genuine grinder with a competitive instinct that drags her through tight situations. She has been tested throughout her career and knows what winning at this level demands. Her ability to lift when it matters most is the quality that separates her from players at a similar ranking, and I expect that to be the deciding factor here. Birrell wins in three sets.
First meetings always carry a bit of uncertainty, and Ku will have one significant advantage in Seoul, which is the crowd. Playing in front of a home support that genuinely wants you to win can lift a player’s level in ways that are hard to quantify, and Ku has shown real promise this season. She will not be short of belief walking onto that court.
The issue is that Ruse at her best is an absolute handful on hard courts. The Romanian strikes the ball with real venom off both wings and her power game is well suited to this surface. Her season has been inconsistent, but the gap in ceiling between these two players is significant. If Ruse is anywhere near her top level she should have too much for the home favourite, and I expect her to come through in three sets.
This is the kind of match where experience tends to win out. Bondar has been on tour long enough to know exactly how to navigate these occasions. Her game is built on variety rather than power, she changes pace, finds angles, and generally makes life awkward for players who want a straightforward hitting contest. That tactical intelligence is a real asset against someone she has never faced before.
Charaeva is dangerous precisely because she plays with freedom and has the shot-making ability to produce something extraordinary on any given point. But that unpredictability cuts both ways. Her best tennis tends to arrive in bursts rather than across full matches, and Bondar’s patience and experience should allow her to stay composed through the difficult spells and grind her way to the win. Bondar in three.
Ostapenko is genuinely one of the most watchable players in the world when she is swinging freely. The ball comes off her racket at a pace that gives opponents almost no time to respond, and the Asian swing seems to bring out something extra in her. She has had a strong season overall and arrives in Seoul with clear momentum.
Preston is a young Australian who has caught the eye this year. There is a maturity to her game that belies her age and she hits the ball cleanly with real authority. Facing Ostapenko for the first time is a very particular kind of test though. The Latvian’s combination of pace, angles and sheer unpredictability can scramble the plans of far more experienced players. If Preston can weather the early storm and drag Ostapenko into extended exchanges she will give herself a chance, but I expect Ostapenko’s quality to be too consistent to be derailed. Ostapenko wins in straight sets.
Top Casinos
Top New Bookmakers
Top Offers
Top Rated Bookmakers
Best Football Bookies
