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McCartney Kessler and Diana Shnaider will be among the big names in action on Day 3 of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Both women are scheduled to play their respective second-round matches on Wednesday (October 22).
In addition to Victoria Mboko, Karolina Muchova, Eva Lys and Maya Joint will also be in action. With plenty of tennis lined up, we take a look at the prospects of some of the biggest names in the deck:
McCartney Kessler vs. Linda Noskova
McCartney Kessler and Linda Noskova will square off in the first match of the day at the Pan Pacific Open. Both players have enjoyed Asian success, with the former making deep runs in Beijing and Ningbo and the latter reaching the final at the China Open.
Noskova is the more powerful player of the two off the court. However, when faced with solid counterpoints, his tally of winners can often be offset by unforced errors. The same was evident in her first round loss to Katie Boulter in Osaka last week. Unfortunately for her, Kessler possesses the consistent baseline game necessary to frustrate opponents from overpressing.
The American fought better against Cristina Bucsa in her first match, coming back from a set down to win. Throughout the match, he also managed to protect his serve relatively well, breaking only three times. He was winning an emphatic 75% of first serve points and will be looking to pick up right where he left off.
A lot will depend on how marked Noskova is on her groundstrokes. Any mistakes could come back to haunt her against an in-form opponent.
prediction: Kessler in three sets
Shaid vs Anna Calmya
The other big match at the Pan Pacific Open will feature two big ball forwards, Diana Shnaider and Anna Kalinskaya, who will be fighting for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Shnaider has struggled for form this year after a brilliant 2024 season (when she won four titles) which saw her rise to a career-high ranking of No.11 earlier this year. He has finally found some form in recent months, reaching a final in Monterrey and a semi-final in Osaka. She was also in full flight during her 6-3 6-1 win over Dayana Yastremska in her first match here.
As for Kalinskaya, the 2025 season has been marred by injuries. He showed signs of resurgence by reaching the Washington final in July and a solid US Open swing, but has won just one match in his three tournaments during the Asian swing.
Despite their recent run of form, both women are capable of blowing their opponents off the court with big groundstrokes. In a match as close as this one, the lack of practice and court time may end up costing Kalinskaya.
prediction: Shnaider in two tight sets
Other Pan Pacific Open predictions
Eva Lys to defeat. Victory Mboko in three sets
Karolina Muchova to defeat. Maya Joint in three sets
Edited by Vedant Chandel
