Elena Rybakina – Veronika Kudermetova
Rybakina had to suffer a sensational defeat against Jasmine Paolini in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros. Previously, she reached the semifinals of the Madrid Open, won the title at the Stuttgart Open and finished second at the Miami Open.
She also won the Abu Dhabi Open title earlier this year. Rybakina, 25, is currently ranked fourth in the world and remains one of the WTA’s most consistent players. On the other hand, Kudermetova lost her first match at the Madrid Open, the Italian Open as well as the French Open. Thus, she had a very weak clay court season. The 27-year-old reached the second round in ‘s-Hertogenbosch after winning her first match of the tournament.
Currently, Rybakina leads the personal meetings with a score of 4:0. The last meeting took place at the Stuttgart Open earlier this year. However, they have not yet met on the pitch.
Forecast for the match Elena Rybakina – Veronika Kudermetova
It can be assumed that this match will be quite one-sided. Rybakina is of course a more experienced player and she needs to recover from her failure at Roland Garros. With the exception of Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, there is probably no more consistent player on the WTA Tour than Jelena.
However, that doesn’t mean Kudermetova won’t resist. The Russian is ranked 35th in the world and will look to turn the tide in Berlin after her disappointing performances this season. Thanks to the quality of her shots and her game in general, Rybakina remains the favorite.
Forecast: Elena Rybakina will win in straight sets
Ekaterina Alexandrova – Cori Gauff
Top seed Cori Gauff had a great start to the season, winning the title in Auckland with a three-set victory over Elina Svitolina. She then reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, where she lost to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka. Gauff continued to play well in Dubai and Indian Wells, reaching the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.
She didn’t get off to the best start on clay, but finished well, advancing to the semifinals of the Italian Open and Roland Garros. Both times she lost to Iga Swiatek in straight sets.
Meanwhile, Alexandrova is 17-15 this season, and reaching the final of the Linz Open was her best result to date. She also showed a good result in Miami, beating tennis players such as Donna Vekic, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula, but ultimately lost to Danielle Collins.
Alexandrova opened the grass season in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last week. Seeded third, she reached the semifinals, where she lost to eventual champion Lyudmila Samsonova 3-6, 7-6 (1), 1-6.
In Berlin, she defeated Beatrice Adad Maia in straight sets – 6-4, 6-4.
Coco Gauff and Ekaterina Alexandrova have met three times, the American has a 2-1 advantage. They last played at the 2023 Beijing Open, where Gauff won in straight sets.
Prediction for the match Ekaterina Alexandrova – Cori Gauff
Gauff’s season hasn’t been up to par so far. She only won one title at the start of the year and has since failed to reach the final. However, she has had a number of good results on clay recently. Alexandrova, meanwhile, has made some progress this year but is struggling to maintain her consistency. However, she is worth keeping an eye on given her recent form on grass. Alexandrova played well in her first match in Berlin, dominating her serve and using her backcourt well.
Although Gauff enters the contest as a slight favorite, Alexandrova cannot be ruled out. She has been in good form lately and it will take incredible consistency in defense to get the better of the Russian.
Forecast: Ekaterina Alexandrova will win in three sets.
Anna Kalinska – Marketa Vondrousova
Reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova will face Anna Kalinska in the second round of the 2024 Ecotrans Open.
In the first round, Vondrousova defeated Rebeka Masharova with a score of 6-4, 6-3. She extended her winning streak on grass to eight matches, dating back to last year’s Wimbledon triumph.
Kalinskaya started the tournament in Berlin against qualifier Nao Hibino. The first set escaped the hands of the Russian as she lost it after conceding two serves. But Anna was the first to break in the second set, but Khibino then came back and leveled the score. Kalinskaya again took her opponent’s serve and this time held the advantage and won the set.
In the third set, Kalinskaya dominated and led 5:1, and closed the match soon after with a score of 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. It was his first victory on grass in two years.
The tennis players had never played against each other before.
Forecast for the match Anna Kalinskaya – Marketa Vondrousova
Vondrousova recently reached the quarter-finals of the French Open and, with her title defense at Wimbledon just a few weeks away, she will be looking to give her best in Berlin.
Kalinskaya reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and then the final in Dubai. But after that, she only won two matches in a row once.
Before her Wimbledon triumph, Vondrousova was not a serious threat on grass. Before winning last year, she only had four main draw victories to her name. Given Kalinskaya’s less than optimal form, the Czech will clearly be the favorite.
Forecast: Marketa Vondrousova will win in straight sets.
Arina Sabalenko – Daria Kasatkina
Sabalenka has had a brilliant start to the 2024 season, defending her title at the Australian Open. Then her form dipped a bit while playing on American hard courts, but she quickly recovered for the clay court season. Sabalenka reached the final of the Madrid and Ria Masters, but lost both times to Iga Swiatek. She arrived at the French Open as one of the favorites, but was beaten by Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals. Sabalenka felt discomfort throughout the match due to stomach issues, but fought until the end.
Kasatkina, meanwhile, has not spent the season living up to e1’s high standards and has ranked well outside the top 10 in the women’s rankings. She is 20-12 this season and has finished second in Abu Dhabi and Charleston so far. She started the tournament in Berlin with a three-set victory against Marta Kostyuk.
Arina Sabalenka and Daria Kasatkina have met eight times on the WTA Tour, with the Belarusian leading the meetings with a score of 6-2. Earlier this year, she won their previous meeting 6-1, 6-4 in the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International.
Forecast for the match Arina Sabalenka – Daria Kasatkina
Sabalenka had a great start to the season, survived a slump in the United States and returned to form for the clay court season. Kasatkina, on the other hand, is not yet having her best season. There is no consistency in her game despite reaching two finals this year. Kasatkina’s serve isn’t up to par either.
Sabalenka enters this fight as the favorite, given her explosive grass court game and strong serve.
Forecast: Aryna Sabalenka will win in three sets.
Vyacheslav Gorbachev, Athletistic
Source: Sport
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
