WTA Stuttgart: Final Prediction

WTA Stuttgart: Final Prediction- Caroline Wozniacki vs Angelique Kerber

(Rank/Seed)

The final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart will feature the two players I predicted; (5/4) Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and (14/-) Angelique Kerber of Germany. Who do I think will ride home with car?

Experience: Both players have been in many big finals before, but Wozniacki has a much better winning ratio. Caroline has won 23 of the 39 finals she’s played, but only one of those titles came on red clay, back in Brussels 2011. Angelique has only won 4 of the 15 finals she’s contested and has never won a title on red clay. Advantage: Wozniacki

Recent Form: Wozniacki is appearing in her 3rd final this year, losing in Auckland to Venus Williams but winning in Kuala Lumpur. Her year has been patchier than she’d like, with a good Asian swing sandwiched by disappointing early exits in Australia and the US. After reaching the quarters in Brisbane and the semis in Sydney to start the year, Kerber’s form nose dived as she lost before the quarters in her next 5 events and fell outside of the top 10. However, the switch to clay and her reinstatement of former coach Torben Beltz has seen Kerber rise from the ashes. She’s now on a 10 match winning streak, having won Charleston, a Fed Cup match and 4 matches here! Advantage: Kerber

Route Through: Both players have played some amazing tennis to get here. Wozniacki backed up her wins against Lucie Safarova and (10/8) Carla Suarez Navarro with a terrific 75 57 62 upset of (3/2) Simona Halep in the semis. The two battled for almost 3 hours as each player recovered ball after ball in an exhausting grind, but as I predicted, Caroline proved the stronger, both physically and mentally in the 3rd set. That marathon training last year has obviously done Caroline a world of good! As Kerber is un-seeded, she’s played an extra match but you wouldn’t know it! After stunning the 3 time reigning champion, (2/1) Maria Sharapova in the 2nd round, Kerber has gone from strength to strength in accounting for (8/6) Ekaterina Makarova and Madison Brengle in straight sets. The crowd seems to be pulling her through, despite the fact she’s had her thigh strapped for her past couple of matches and is no doubt feeling fatigued. I think that Kerber may feel the strain at last, so it’s…Advantage: Wozniacki

More from WTA

Past Results in Stuttgart: Caroline doesn’t do things by halves at this tournament, as it’s either been good or bad from her here over the years. She didn’t play last year but in 6 previous appearances, she’s lost before the quarters 4 times. On the other 2 occasions, she’s reached the final; 2011 and this year. In 2011, when she was the world’s number one player, Caroline was stunned by the 32nd ranked, home favourite, Julia Goerges 76(3) 63. Is that a bad omen? Kerber will be desperate to become the 3rd German, after Goerges and Anke Huber to win this home event. Her best previous result was a semi final loss in 2013, when Maria Sharapova edged her 75 in the 3rd set! She’s now avenged that loss on a run that is a stark improvement on last year’s 2nd round exit to Carla Suarez Navarro. As Kerber is the home favourite, she will have the crowd’s support. Advantage: Kerber

Head to Head: Kerber narrowly leads the head to head 5-4! Caroline won their most recent meeting in Cincinnati last summer, 75 62. Before that, Kerber had won 5 of their last 6 meetings, including their only clay court clash, which happened to be on this very court back in 2012, when the score line was a bruising 61 62 in the 2nd round! This rivalry features two players who can run and retrieve forever, so expect interminable rallies! The key in this match will be opening up the angles and staying focused when the put away finally arrives, as that extra ball will keep coming back time and time again with these two! Caroline has a bigger serve and a great backhand, but Kerber has a killer forehand and the better recovery movement on clay. Fitness will play a big role in this match and I feel that there is no one fitter on tour at the moment than Caroline Wozniacki. For that reason alone, it’s…Advantage: Wozniacki

As you can see, Wozniacki has a slight advantage. The tennis she’s produced this week has been of the highest calibre and I think that she will have no difficulty recovering from her semi final epic. To win the match, she must look to attack Kerber’s serve, mix up the pace and make this a physical contest. In contrast, as much as Kerber’s been playing great lately and is on a winning streak, I think she will tire physically against Wozniacki, who will make her play many more balls than anyone so far. On top of that, Kerber is renowned for struggling in finals, having only barely beaten Madison Keys in Charleston the other week. The crowd could work to either inspire or suffocate her and I think that unless she can really shorten the points with her trademark down the lines, I can’t envisage her winning if she gets stuck in long rallies.

WTA Stuttgart: Final Prediction- Caroline Wozniacki

Next: WTA Stuttgart: Semi Final Predictions

More from Lob and Smash

Home/WTA