{"id":1845,"date":"2026-09-01T08:37:38","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T08:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/09\/01\/us-open-day-2-womens-predictions-noskova-volynets\/"},"modified":"2026-09-01T08:37:38","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T08:37:38","slug":"us-open-day-2-womens-predictions-noskova-volynets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/09\/01\/us-open-day-2-womens-predictions-noskova-volynets\/","title":{"rendered":"US Open Day 2 Women\u2019s First\u2011Round Predictions Highlight Noskova\u2011Volynets Clash"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>The second day of the US Open\u2019s opening round features a full slate of 26 women\u2019s matches. While the tournament\u2019s schedule is split across several preview articles, three analysts\u2014Nurein Ahmed, Manuel Traquete and Ilemona Onekutu\u2014have shared their expectations for a selection of the contests. Their commentary covers four specific matchups: Ann\u202fLi versus Antonia\u202fRuzic, Maya\u202fJoint against Liudmila\u202fSamsonova, Nadia\u202fPodoroska versus Simona\u202fWaltert, and the headline clash between Wimbledon champion Linda\u202fNoskova and American qualifier Katie\u202fVolynets.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Matchups and Expert Predictions<\/h2>\n<p>In the opening encounter, American Ann\u202fLi meets Croatian Antonia\u202fRuzic. All three analysts agree that Li holds the advantage. Nurein Ahmed notes that Ruzic\u2019s recent form has been weak, describing her second half of the season as \u201cpoor\u201d and suggesting that Li\u2019s movement and defensive skills should neutralise Ruzic\u2019s power. Manuel Traquete echoes this view, calling Li the \u201cmore consistent player\u201d and pointing to Ruzic\u2019s losing streak as a factor that will not impede Li\u2019s progress. Ilemona Onekutu adds that Li\u2019s recent semifinal appearance in Monterrey signals a high level of play, while Ruzic has yet to find footing on hard courts in 2026. Each analyst predicts a straight\u2011sets victory for Li, with Ahmed and Traquete specifically forecasting a 2\u20110 result and Onekutu also anticipating a 2\u20110 win.<\/p>\n<p>The second highlighted duel pits rising American Maya\u202fJoint against Russian power\u2011hitter Liudmila\u202fSamsonova. Ahmed references Joint\u2019s \u201ceye\u2011catching win\u201d in her last Grand Slam main\u2011draw appearance but doubts a repeat, emphasizing Samsonova\u2019s \u201cmassive power\u201d when she is at her best. Traquete leans on head\u2011to\u2011head history, noting that Samsonova has won both previous meetings, including a recent Canadian match earlier this month, and labels her the \u201cclearer and more solid\u201d competitor. Onekutu points out that Joint has maintained a top\u201180 ranking this season and is comfortable on hard courts, yet Samsonova\u2019s superior weapons and past success at the US Open make her the favourite. The predictions vary slightly: Ahmed and Traquete expect a 2\u20110 win for Samsonova, while Onekutu foresees a 3\u20110 result, underscoring the expected dominance of Samsonova\u2019s firepower.<\/p>\n<p>In the third contest, Argentine clay\u2011court specialist Nadia\u202fPodoroska faces Swiss top\u2011100 regular Simona\u202fWaltert. Ahmed highlights Podoroska\u2019s experience but notes her lack of a main\u2011draw US Open win and a decline in physical threat, concluding that Waltert should prevail. Traquete observes a ranking gap that \u201cdoesn\u2019t even close to accurately capture the quality gap,\u201d yet still gives Waltert a \u201cslight edge,\u201d anticipating a close match. Onekutu emphasizes Podoroska\u2019s recent ranking drop and her time on the ITF circuit, contrasting it with Waltert\u2019s consistent hard\u2011court game. All three analysts predict a win for Waltert, with Ahmed and Traquete each projecting a 3\u20110 victory and Onekutu a tighter 2\u20110 outcome.<\/p>\n<h2>Noskova vs Volynets: A Closer Look at the Featured Match<\/h2>\n<p>The marquee first\u2011round encounter pits fresh Wimbledon champion Linda\u202fNoskova against American qualifier Katie\u202fVolynets. Each analyst provides a distinct rationale for backing Noskova.<\/p>\n<p>Ahmed remarks that Noskova has spoken openly about the career\u2011changing potential of a Grand Slam win, and while she has not ignited the tour since her Wimbledon triumph, there remains an \u201caura\u201d about her current form. He also highlights Volynets as a \u201cgrinder\u201d whose game will test the reigning Wimbledon champion, but asserts that Noskova\u2019s flat ball\u2011striking will punish any short balls, leading to a prediction of a straight\u2011sets victory for Noskova.<\/p>\n<p>Traquete focuses on Noskova\u2019s post\u2011Wimbledon performance, acknowledging that she \u201chasn\u2019t played great\u201d since the title but expressing confidence that she will elevate her level at a Slam and avoid significant difficulties in this opening match. He also predicts a 2\u20110 win for Noskova.<\/p>\n<p>Onekutu underscores Noskova\u2019s in\u2011form status, describing her as \u201cone of the most in\u2011form players on tour\u201d after her Wimbledon success. She notes Volynets\u2019 speed and ability to create discomfort, yet points out Volynets\u2019 struggles against top\u2011level opposition. Onekutu concludes that Noskova\u2019s confidence should carry her through, again forecasting a straight\u2011sets victory for the Czech.<\/p>\n<p>Collectively, the three analysts converge on a unanimous prediction: Noskova to defeat Volynets in two sets, leveraging her recent major\u2011title momentum and aggressive flat hitting against Volynets\u2019 defensive style.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond these four matchups, the day\u2019s schedule also includes high\u2011profile first\u2011round battles such as Aryna\u202fSabalenka versus Camila\u202fOsorio, Naomi\u202fOsaka against Anastasia\u202fZakharova, Amanda\u202fAnisimova versus Ashlyn\u202fKrueger, Iga\u202fSwiatek versus Xiyu\u202fWang, Karolina\u202fMuchova against Sinja\u202fKraus, and Maja\u202fChwalinska versus Taylor\u202fTownsend. While the provided analysis does not extend to those contests, the broader context underscores the depth of talent on display across the opening day of the tournament.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the consensus among the three experts suggests a day dominated by higher\u2011ranked or more in\u2011form players, with the notable exception of potential upsets that could arise from the hard\u2011court dynamics of Flushing Meadows. As the US Open progresses, early\u2011round outcomes will shape the narrative for the remainder of the fortnight, and the predictions outlined here offer a snapshot of the expectations held by seasoned observers.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Analysts Nurein Ahmed, Manuel Traquete and Ilemona Onekutu weigh in on four first\u2011round women\u2019s matches at the US Open, with a particular focus on Linda Noskova\u2019s showdown against Katie Volynets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1825,1827,1826,1821,1782,1824],"class_list":["post-1845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-first-round","tag-katie-volynets","tag-linda-noskova","tag-match-predictions","tag-us-open","tag-womens-tennis","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}