Citi DC Open Day 5: Women's singles predictions ft. Leylah Fernandez vs Taylor Townsend

Day 5 of the 2025 Citi DC Open (July 25) will feature four quarterfinal fixtures in the women's singles event. The highest-seeded player who will be in action is third-seeded Elena Rybakina, who will take on fifth-seeded Magdalena Fręch.

The other matches include a clash between a former Major champion and a former Top-10 player as Emma Raducanu takes on Maria Sakkari. Fourth-seeded Clara Tauson will also be in action, whereas Taylor Townsend is the only home player remaining in the draw.

Let's take a look at some of the matches scheduled to take place on Day 5 at the 2025 Citi DC Open

#1 Elena Rybakina vs Magdalena Frech

One of the quarterfinals at the 2025 Citi DC Open will be between third-seeded Elena Rybakina and fifth-seeded Magdalena Frech.

Rybakina has won 32 of the 45 matches she has played this year, with a title in Strasbourg being her best performance. She began her campaign at the Citi DC Open with a first-round bye, and in her only match, won 6-3, 7-5 against the Canadian wildcard, Victoria Mboko, in the second round.

Frech has a 10-18 record this year with no titles to show for in the season as of yet. At the Citi DC Open, she began her tournament with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Ukrainian qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva in the first round, followed by a 6-2, 6-2 win over Venus Williams in the second round.

Rybakina has won both her matches against Frech, including a 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-4 win at Dubai last year, making her the favorite for the upcoming match as well.

Predicted winner- Elena Rybakina

#2 Leylah Fernandez vs Taylor Townsend

Leylah Fernandez is all set to face home favorite, American qualifier Taylor Townsend, in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Citi DC Open.

Fernandez has an 18-17 win/loss record in 2025 with her best results being quarterfinal finishes in Abu Dhabi and Nottingham. At the Citi DC Open, she began with a 6-3, 6-3 win against Maya Joint in the first round, followed by a 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 win over top seed Jessica Pegula in the second round.

Townsend has won 14 of the 25 matches she has played in 2025, with this run at Washington being her best result of the season so far. She began her campaign with wins over Camila Osorio and Emiliana Arango in the qualifiers to enter the main draw. In the main draw, she won 6-4, 7-5 against Tatjana Maria in the first round, followed by a 6-3, 6-0 win over sixth seed Sofia Kenin in the second round.

This is the first meeting between the two players, but with the home support behind her, Townsend is the favorite to win.

Predicted winner- Taylor Townsend

#3 Anna Kalinskaya vs Clara Tauson

In Picture: Kalinskaya in action (Getty)

Another of the quarterfinal clashes at the 2025 Citi DC Open will feature former Top-15 player Anna Kalinskaya facing off against fourth-seeded Clara Tauson.

Kalinskaya has a 12-13 win/loss record in 2025, with her best result being a semifinal finish in Singapore. At the Citi DC Open, she began her campaign with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Kamilla Rakhimova in the first round, followed by a 6-4, 6-0 win over eighth-seeded Magda Linette in the second round.

Tauson has won 28 of the 42 matches she has played in 2025, winning a title in Auckland and having a runner-up finish in Dubai. At Washington, she received an opening-round bye and won her second-round match 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 against Caroline Dolehide.

Their head-to-head is tied at 1-1, with Tauson winning the last match 6-3, 7-6 (10) at this year's Wimbledon, making her the favorite for the upcoming match as well.

Predicted winner- Clara Tauson

About the author

Sagnik, a Mass Communication and Journalism graduate, is a tennis journalist at Sportskeeda. Before finding his spot in the tennis writing team, he worked as a junior content specialist for academic content writing firms for a couple of years.

Before putting out any information in the public domain, Sagnik makes sure that every element of his content is well-researched and backed with credible data so that there is no misinterpretation of facts or quotes and ethical standards are maintained. To do so, Sagnik follows reputed websites like the Tennis Channel and Tennis TV, and renowned journalists on social media.

He is a fan of former player Roger Federer, and just like his favorite player, Sagnik likes to bring perfection to his write-ups by providing concise and on-point content. Speaking of the ‘GOAT’ debate, Sagnik believes that it is a bit unfair to compare the legends of the game from different eras who have played on different terms. But if he were to pick one, he’d go for Novak Djokovic based on his tally of 24 Grand Slam titles.

When not writing about tennis and technically analyzing the sport, which he believes are his 'forte', Sagnik indulges in reading books.

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Edited by Pratham K Sharma