US Open 2023 Day 2: Women's singles predictions, ft. Marketa Vondrousova vs Na-Lae Han

The second day of the 2023 US Open on Tuesday will see 32 first-round matches in the women's singles draw being played. Sixteen seeds, nine qualifiers, three wildcards, and one lucky loser among others will be in action.

Reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, seventh seed Caroline Garcia and Montreal finalist Liudmila Samsonova will be the three main attractions as they hope to make it deep at the New York Major.

Without further ado, here are how some of the intriguing match-ups in the women's singles draw on Tuesday could pan out:

#1 Marketa Vondrousova vs Na-Lae Han

Marketa Vondrousova won this year's Wimbledon title

Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova had a respectable showing at the tune-up events to this year's US Open, reaching the third round and the quarterfinals in Montreal and Cincinnati respectively. Her counterpunching game will likely take her far during the fortnight, as she has received a soft draw.

Na Lae Han, meanwhile, is relatively inexperienced on the big stage. The Korean qualifier had featured in the main draw of a Major tournament only once in her career before this week.

The first-round match at the 2023 US Open will mark the first time Vondrousova and Han face each other, so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.

Vondrousova is expected to swat her opponent aside without much problem, as she has far more big-match playing experience than her World No. 241 opponent.

Pick: Marketa Vondrousova to win in straight sets.

#2 Caroline Garcia vs Yafan Wang

Caroline Garcia reached the semifinals of the US Open last year

2022 semifinalist Caroline Garcia will face off against Chinese qualifier Yafan Wang in the first round of the New York Major. Garcia, who had a breakout year in 2022, has cooled off this season as evidenced by her 29-19 win-loss record on the Hologic WTA tour.

Her current form is in stark contrast to the tennis she displayed at the 2022 US Open, where she reached the semifinals without dropping a single set.

Yafan Wang, meanwhile, is on a 10-match unbeaten streak coming into this year's New York Major. Seven of those matches came at the Stanford Challenger, though, where the World No. 114 qualified for the event before going all the way to win the title.

The two players have met twice on the Hologic WTA tour and have split their head-to-head meetings 1-1.

Although Garcia should likely have very little trouble dousing Wang's challenge, she should be wary of a tricky affair considering her opponent will be in a good rhythm due to winning so many matches.

Pick: Caroline Garcia in three sets.

#3 Liudmila Samsonova vs Claire Liu

Liudmila Samsonova hits a forehand

14th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova has had a good North American hardcourt season. The big-hitting Belarusian defeated Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina en route to reaching the WTA 1000 final in Montreal, where she lost to Jessica Pegula.

Claire Liu, on her part, is fresh off a runner-up finish at the Chicago Challenger. The promising American has been handed tough draws at three of the four Majors this year; she was looking primed for a respectable run in Melbourne and French Open recently, but ran into top players like Iga Swiatek and Belinda Bencic respectively in the second round.

Her luck doesn't seem to have changed much as she will have to face Samsonova, who beat her earlier this year at the Abu Dhabi Open.

The formidable Samsonova is most likely to win this contest, as she's well-rested and hungry for a deep showing at this year's US Open.

Pick: Liudmila Samsonova to win in straight sets.

#4 Donna Vekic vs Sachia Vickery

Donna Vekic pumps her first

22nd-seed Donna Vekic hasn't had much of an impact on the hardcourts in 2023 but will be intent on changing that at the New York Major this week. The Croat has a respectable draw and could face seven-time Major winner Venus Williams in the second round, provided both players win their openers.

Sachia Vickery, meanwhile, is a Major tournament-qualifiers veteran. The African-American has played the qualifying event at the US Open over the last five years, managing to qualify for the main draw in 2020 and 2023.

The first-round match at the 2023 US Open will mark the first time Vekic and Vickery face each other, so their head-to-head record stands at 0-0.

Vekic is the heavy favorite to win this bout, as she has made some key adjustments to her game this year and will be eager to emulate her quarterfinal result from the 2019 US Open.

Pick: Donna Vekic to win in straight sets.