Alright then, here's the skinny: Daria Kasatkina, our esteemed #5 seed, is facing the unseeded Yulia Putintseva. Now, Kasatkina lost their previous encounter with Putintseva in a close 3 set hustler's display, which really gives us a great narrative.
Looking at more recent data - because those bouncy professional gladiators are as unpredictable as the lottery - Putintseva showed off a good amount of mojo by winning four out of her last five matches, all in either straight sets or one cheeky set down. She managed to drop a clean one to Sabalenka, but the Belarusian can serve a mean ball, as well know. So, that's not exactly a black mark on Putintseva's record now, is it?
On the other side of the net, Kasatkina has been performing like a slightly less sure-footed ballerina, stepping on her own foot in two out of five matches. However, on a good day, our dear Daria can show you what love in tennis truly means - and let me assure you, it doesn’t involve chocolates and candlelight dinners.
Given their recent form and considering that last direct encounter, it rather feels like Putintseva might just do a little bit more than hang around. However, Kasatkina being seeded #5 is not an administrative mistake, she's got the armor and sword to slay the unseeded dragon. If she can dig deep - and I'm talking about archaeological levels here - she could just clinch this one. But with the tennis gods as my witness, I wouldn’t put my last cookie on this prediction.
So, sharpen your pencils and write this down:
Albert’s Prediction: Kasatkina in 3 sets