US Open 2023 Day 3: Women's singles predictions, ft. Jelena Ostapenko vs Elina Avanesyan

The third day of the 2023 US Open on Wednesday will see 16 second-round matches in the top half of the women's singles draw being played. Twelve seeds have survived their opening-round matches in New York and will be looking to advance to the third round.

Former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko and 15th-seeded Belinda Bencic will be the two 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 Wednesday could pan out:

#1 Jelena Ostapenko vs Elina Avanesyan

Elina Avanesyan hits a backhand at the 2023 US Open

Ostapenko has had a respectable season on the Hologic WTA tour this year, with a 29-16 win-loss record and a 250-level title in Birmingham to boot. Although the Latvian wasn't in good form leading up to this year's New York Major, she still remains one of the players to look out for.

The 2017 French Open champion did struggle in her first-round match, though. Her encounter against the formidable Jasmine Paolini dragged on to three sets, but she was able to come out victorious in the end.

Avanesyan, meanwhile, mostly plies her trade at WTA 250 events and ITF tournaments. Although the 20-year-old had advanced to the second week of Roland Garros this year, she is relatively inexperienced on the big stage. That, however, didn't deter the Russian from beating WTA veteran Alize Cornet in three sets on Monday to reach the second round.

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

Ostapenko is expected to swat her opponent aside without much problem, as she has far more big-match experience than her younger opponent.

Pick: Jelena Ostapenko to win in straight sets.

#2 Belinda Bencic vs Yuriko Miyazaki

Belinda Bencic hits a backhand

Belinda Bencic has recorded consistent results on the Hologic WTA tour in 2023, but has failed to win silverware over the last few months. The Swiss, however, was in good form during her opener as she beat Kamila Rakhimova in straight sets.

The 26-year-old has done well at the US Open in the past. She reached the quarterfinals in 2014 and 2021, and the semifinals in 2019.

Her opponent Miyazaki, on her part, mostly competes on the ITF tour. The Brit qualified for this year's New York Major without much difficulty, before beating Margarita Betova in straight sets to reach the second round.

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

Bencic is the overwhelming favorite to win this match and will look to make good use of her world-class backhand to dismantle Miyazaki.

Pick: Belinda Bencic to win in straight sets

#3 Sorana Cirstea vs Anna Kalinskaya

Sorana Cirstea pumps her fist

Sorana Cirstea has recorded mediocre results in the last few months. Since winning the WTA 125 event in Catalonia, she has dropped nine of her last 16 matches. Having said that, the Romanian was in fine form during her opener as she beat local wildcard Kayla Day for the loss of just five games.

Kalinskaya, meanwhile, was a promising player as a youngster but has failed to make inroads at the big tournaments. The Russian matched her career-best result at the US Open on Monday, though, beating doubles specialist Katerina Siniakova quite handily.

The two have only met once on the Hologic WTA tour, with Cirstea coming out on top in their third-round match at Indian Wells last year.

Both players possess potent groundstrokes, with which they push their opponents way behind the baseline. Kalinskaya's groundstrokes, however, are a bit more unstable, so her older opponent may have a slight advantage over her.

Pick: Sorana Cirstea to win in three sets.

#4 Lauren Davis vs Kaja Juvan

Lauren Davis retrieves a ball

Lauren Davis had lost all of her matches at the tour level leading up to this year's US Open. The American, however, has struck a rich vein of form in Flushing Meadows, as evidenced by her first-round beatdown of the formidable Danka Kovinic.

Juvan, on the other hand, played this year's US Open qualifiers, where she beat her last two opponents in three sets to make the cut for the main draw. Then in the first round, she stunned World No. 29 Elisabetta Cocciaretto in two tight sets to reach the second round of a Major tournament for the 10th time in her career.

The two have only met once on the Hologic WTA tour, with Davis coming out on top in their third-round match in Birmingham last year.

Davis won a career-second title in Hobart earlier this year. She has struggled for form since then, and currently has much less match preparedness than her Slovenian opponent. In that context, Juvan has a good chance of beating the home favorite and advancing to the third round of the 2023 US Open.

Pick: Kaja Juvan to win in three sets.