WTA Stanford – Wednesday Preview

Dominika Cibulkova vs. Christina McHale

Dominika Cibulkova will take on Christina McHale on Wednesday for a place in the quarter-finals of the Bank of the West Classic.
Dominika Cibulkova made a solid start to this year’s Bank of the West Classic, defeating Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm in straight sets (6-2, 7-6(7)). The eighth seed will be pleased to have gotten the match finished in a relatively quick fashion, as Date-Krumm had threatened to come back in the second set before losing four consecutive set points. Cibulkova is well positioned to be a title contender here, and the fact that she’s yet to clinch a WTA title should provide her with extra motivation. The 22 year-old is likely to struggle against some of the bigger names, but if she can get through the first few rounds unscathed she should be in with a chance.

Her next matchup will be a second round showdown against young American Christina McHale. McHale is showing real potential this season, and it might not be long until she becomes a top fifty player. She might struggle against Cibulkova on Wednesday, but it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if she caused an upset.

Marion Bartoli vs. Rebecca Marino

Marion Bartoli will face the challenge of Rebecca Marino on Wednesday in the second round of the Bank of the West Classic.
Third seed Marion Bartoli is expected to be a major contender for the title this week in the Bank of the West Classic, and her bid for a seventh career WTA title could prove to be successful here. She was handed a bye in the first round, and if she can find consistency early on in round two she’ll be amongst the front runners in Stanford.
Bartoli doesn’t have the easiest draw though. She can look forward to a potential semi-final clash against top seed Victoria Azarenka is she progresses as expected. To add to this, she’s been pitted against Canadian up-and-comer Rebecca Marino in the second round.
Marino has rocketed through the rankings over the last year, and she enters this tournament as the world No. 40. The 20 year-old made a confident start in the first round by beating Coco Vandeweghe in straight sets (6-4, 6-4), and she looks like a formidable opponent right now.
To add to this, she has a 1-0 head to head record against Bartoli, having beaten her last season in Quebec City in a very assured manner (6-3, 6-1). It looks like Bartoli will have to be on her toes here, as there’s plenty of potential for an upset.