The action continues on quarterfinal day at the WTA Adelaide International. There are several top players in action, and it should be an exciting watch for the fans in the stadium and at home. As always, we at LWOT give our predictions for all four matches taking place in Adelaide. But which players do you think will progress to the semifinals?
WTA Adelaide Quarterfinal Predictions
Marta Kostyuk vs Jelena Ostapenko
Head-to-head: Ostapenko 1-0 Kostyuk
Both players fought hard to reach the quarterfinal. Jelena Ostapenko played the highest-quality round-of-16 match of the tournament against last year’s Guadalajara semifinalist Caroline Garcia. The Latvian came through 6-4 5-7 6-4 after much outstanding tennis. Marta Kostyuk also won 6-4 in the third set against Taylor Townsend. Each player can be unpredictable at times, with Ostapenko particularly known for being mercurial. However, the 2018 French Open champion has started the new season in very good form. If she gets close to that level again, it is likely to be good enough to see off Kostyuk at the WTA Adelaide International.
Daria Kasatkina vs Laura Siegemund
Head-to-head: Kasatkina 4-1 Siegemund
Daria Kasatkina battled through in the second-round against Anna Kalinskaya. It was the kind of gritty performance she has become known for, winning 5-7 6-4 7-5. Laura Siegemund, meanwhile, is in terrific form. After starring in Team Germany’s United Cup triumph, she got an outstanding win against Liudmila Samsonova, before beating Ana Bogdan in straight sets.
The head-to-head is strongly in Kasatkina’s favour, but they have not met in over five years. Although Kasatkina had a long second-round match, she is incredibly fit, and is likely to try and extend the rallies against the 35-year-old Siegemund. It is not a great matchup for the German, and despite her good form, Kasatkina is a big favourite at the WTA Adelaide International.
Elena Rybakina vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Head-to-head: Alexandrova 2-1 Rybakina
This matchup is likely to come down to a few important points on Ekaterina Alexandrova’s serve. The Russian is one of the least proficient movers on the WTA Tour, but compensates for that with a big serve and powerful groundstrokes. Last year’s Australian Open runner-up Elena Rybakina also has an excellent serve. Her return is not one of the very best in the women’s game but she has made vast improvements in that area, which was particularly noticeable in her dominant victory over Aryna Sabalenka in the final in Brisbane.
Alexandrova has actually won both their previous hard court meetings, but they were in 2020. Rybakina is a much better player now. She has had a great start to the season, and expect her to be strong on serve and carve out enough break point opportunities to win again at the WTA Brisbane International.
Jessica Pegula vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Head-to-head: Pegula 1-0 Pavlyuchenkova
Both women recovered from a set down in the previous round. Last year’s WTA Finals runner-up Jessica Pegula was not at her best against Bernarda Bera, but found a way to fight through. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova got a very good win against Katerina Siniakova after dropping the opening set. The 2021 French Open runner-up has mostly struggled to recpature that form since her run to the final at Roland-Garros, and a strong start to the season feels important. However, Pegula is a tough matchup for her. The American’s flat, consistent shots is a style that Pavlyuhenkova has struggled against in the past. She will need to be at her very best to have a chance against the American #2.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
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