The WTA Auckland 2025 continues on Thursday, January 2 with the start of its second round matches. Here’s the preview, predictions and tips for these matches from Auckland.
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Madison Keys v Jaqueline Cristian Preview
Head-to-Head: There have been two previous meetings between these two players and both have won one apiece. Keys clinched their match at the 2022 Australian Open before Cristian levelled things out on the clay courts of Charleston in 2024.
Keys did not have too bad a previous season but she would liked to do a lot better than the 7-6 win-loss she had in hardcourt competitions. Opening round losses at the Canadian Open and in Wuhan made it even more difficult as she fell by a few places on the rankings to finish the season at 21st.
The American made a better start to this season with a straight-set win over Lucia Bronzetti in the first round. She was on court for nearly an hour and a half before claiming a 6-4, 6-4 result.
And she now goes up against a player who has fallen to 85th in the world from her previous career-best in the top 60. Cristian, as a result of that, was a 6/5 underdog in her opener against Yulia Starodubtseva.
She led 6-3, 2-0 in that opener before Starodubtseva retired from the encounter because of injury.
Things might not get any easier though for Cristian who is more of a clay-court specialist and with Keys showing she is back running in hardcourt competitions, we could see the American come through with ease.
Keys v Cristian prediction: Keys to win in straight sets: 3/4
Jodie Burrage v Hailey Baptiste Preview
Head-to-Head: Burrage and Baptiste have never faced off in a competitive match before this.
Burrage has made it to the second round of this competition having earlier gotten knocked out in the qualifiers. Making it through as a lucky loser then, the British player was drawn up against wildcard entrant and world number 1139 Vivian Yang.
As expected and as the 1/10 odds represented, Burrage came away an easy winner, grabbing her second round berth with a 6-3, 6-3 scoreline.
Things will only get tougher when she faces Baptiste who routed the 17-year-old Renata Jamrichova 6-0, 6-2 in her first round match.
Baptiste, who was coming off a solid end to the season that saw her make the third round at Wuhan despite starting out as a qualifier now has an opportunity to do the same here as she looks to win two main draw matches in a row again.
That Wuhan showing was her first in 2024 when she did that and if she can win against Burrage she would already be doing it in the very first tournament of the season.
Burrage v Baptiste prediction: Baptiste to win: 4/6
Alycia Parks v Greet Minnen Preview
Head-to-Head: Parks and Minnen have never faced off before this.
Parks was 11/5 underdog going into her first round match against Amanda Anisimova and for most part of the opening exchanges it looked like there was going to be only one winner – her opponent.
Anisimova broke her thrice in the opening set to scoop it up 6-2 and Parks then faced four break-points in the opening game of the second set.
Once she had saved them all, Parks looked to have found some confidence and then came back to break Anisimova in the sixth game. She repeated that in the eighth game too to grab the equaliser and while Anisimova broke to go 2-1 up in the decider, Parks wasn’t done.
Another couple of breaks followed for her as she wrapped things up in stunning fashion in three sets.
Minnen had an easier time of it in her opener as she lived up to the 11/20 odds on show against Anna-Lena Friedsam. The world number 95 cruised to a 6-4, 6-0 win to seal her second round berth against Parks.
Given the kind of spark that Parks has shown in recent times she holds the edge here but we also think it might not be a straightforward one with Minnen using her experience to trouble her opponent.
Parks v Minnen prediction: Three sets in the match: 6/5
Nao Hibino v Robin Montgomery Preview
Head-to-Head: Hibino and Montgomery have never faced off before.
In a match between two players ranked outside the top 100, Hibino will hope to use her experience of over a decade of tennis to get past the 20-year-old Montgomery.
Much like the Japanese qualifier did to ward off the threat from Jule Niemeier in her opener. In a match lasting an hour and 37 minutes, Hibino was broken three times but always had the answer to her opponent and came through 6-3, 6-4.
Montgomery had a bit of a see-saw battle with Mai Hontama whom she defeated 6-3, 2-6, 6-0 to get through to the second round. This was after first main draw victory since Montgomery won her first round match at the Washington Open last year in July.
Can she now make it two in two which she had last done at Rosmalen last season?
Hibino v Montgomery prediction: Hibino to win: 10/11
Other Auckland Open 2025 Predictions of the Day
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