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WTA Quarterfinal Preview: Stanford and D.C.

By Clinton Trueman

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Sep 1, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) returns a shot to Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) on Armstrong Stadium on day seven of the 2013 US Open at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

WTA Quarterfinal Previews and Predictions: Stanford and Citi Open

We’re now four days into the first tournaments of the WTA US Open Series. And as is always the case with the WTA, chaos has ensued. The draws of both the Bank of the West Classic and the Citi Open have been absolutely massacred. In my pre-tournament preview I predicted that most of the women’s seeds would venture deep in the draws. Needless to say, my prognoses now seem comical, with four seeds – Wozniacki, Petko, Keys and Suarez Navarro – falling in Stanford and five seeds – Bencic, Kuznetsova, Cornet, Vandeweghe and Diyas – falling/withdrawing in Washington.

The survivors will be competing for a spot in the semifinals today. And with various WTA stars in action, quarterfinals day promises a range of exciting matches. Here is a look at today’s top matches:

Top Matches

Angelique Kerber [5] vs. Agnieszka Radwanska [2] (Stanford)

With Wozniacki out of the draw, Kerber will now be the favourite to take out her fourth Premier title for the year. Perhaps her stiffest test will come in the quarterfinals against second seed Radwanska. Their head-to-head record tells a polarising tale, with Radwanska leading 5-4. They last met at the 2013 WTA Finals, with Kerber claiming victory in two easy sets.

The tight head-to-head makes this match incredibly tough to call. Their game styles are very similar and of approximately the same calibre. They are both counterpunchers. Angie’s shots are heavier. Aga employs more variety. Neither has the ability to hit the other off the court. This one is as evenly-matched as matchups come.

The deciding factor here will likely be the form of both players. Radwanska has had a rough year after making a few too many changes to her game. Despite a brief respite on the grass courts, her first match in Stanford suggested that her mediocre hard court results will continue. Her match against Misaki Doi was wildly streaky, with the Pole playing a terrible first set. She was lucky to benefit from numerous Doi errors in the final two sets, as she didn’t appear entirely fit to compete.

Kerber, on the other hand, has been in excellent form. Having already played two matches, she has had more match time to hone her hard court game. Her two victories were also impressive, as she claimed straight set victories over potentially tricky youngsters Daria Gavrilova and Ana Konjuh.

Given Radwanska’s form and apparent fitness issues, I’ll take Kerber for the win. Normally, I would predict that a matchup of this standard would extend to 3 sets. However, a common trend of their matches is that the victor usually emerges with a straight sets scalp. Neither set will be simple, but Kerber will get the job done in 2.

Prediction: Kerber d. Radwanska in 2.

Karolina Pliskova [4] vs. Ajla Tomljanovic (Stanford)

First of all, congratulations to Pliskova for finally reaching the WTA top ten! At the very least, she will enter at no. 9, but can reach no. 7 by clinching the title here. It’s something that I’ve been mentioning recently so it’s great to finally see her make it in.

If she wants to get that no. 7 spot, though, she’ll first have to get through young Croat/Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. The aggressive, hard-hitting Tomljanovic is incredibly inconsistent, but is lethal when her game is working. She benefitted from an error-strewn Madison Keys performance in the second round, and was able to make it through in three sets with a more concentrated, collected performance.

However, I’m not entirely convinced that Tomljanovic will be able to play well for long enough to take out the Czech. Pliskova’s hard, flat groundstrokes will require Tomljanovic to retrieve a lot of balls, which is something she’s not entirely comfortable with. It will also be difficult for her to get into Pliskova’s service games, so a strong serving day is a must if she wants to progress to the semifinals.

Now that she’s made it through her first match and found her game on the hard courts, expect Pliskova to reach the semifinals without too much hassle.

Prediction: Pliskova d. Tomljanovic in 2.

More from WTA

Irina-Camelia Begu [6] vs. Ekaterina Makarova [1] (Washington)

Credit to Makarova for following a weak few months with some solid victories in Washington on the path to the quarterfinal. Although both matches were tight, Makarova was able to defeat Alison Van Uytvanck and Naomi Broady in straight sets to organise a meeting with Begu.

Begu’s performances this week have been solid enough, if not extraordinary. She breezed past a weak Madison Brengle in the first round before struggling through her second round match against Polona Hercog. But inconsistency will always be an unfortunate symptom for a player who strikes the ball as hard as Begu.

Makarova and Begu are both relatively big hitters, with capable yet unexceptional defensive skills. Begu leads their head-to-head, with Begu claiming the victory in Moscow last year.

Both players can be erratic and commit a plethora of unforced errors. They can also have days during which they strike winners from everywhere on the court. As such, I’ll go with Begu, who has claimed a victory over Makarova and has been in the better form of late.

Prediction: Begu d. Makarova in 3.

Sam Stosur [2] vs. Monica Niculescu (Washington)

Stosur has been on a tear recently, claiming seven consecutive victories throughout this tournament and her title run in Austria. The impressive run hasn’t been lost on the Australian, who is talking up her chances as a contender to defeat Serena in New York. If she has any hope of doing so, she needs to build on her game and bolster her confidence through matches like her quarterfinal meeting with Monica Niculescu.

Niculescu – the eccentric spirit that she is – plays the most unconventional game on the WTA tour. Devoid of a heavy, topspin forehand, the Romanian grinds out matches with persistent defensive skills and outstanding variety. It’s a game style that should cause immense problems for Stosur, who appreciates rhythm and time to set up her shots. But their head-to-head tells a different story. Stosur leads 5-0, with only a pair of encounters in Doha extending to 3 sets.

With a strong record against Niculescu, Stosur should be able to further elongate her winning streak here. Niculescu has been performing exceptionally of late though, reaching the final in Nottingham and the round of 16 at Wimbledon. Even though she may make a match out of this meeting, I still fully expect Stosur to take the win.

Prediction: Stosur d. Niculescu in 3.

The Best of the Rest

Elina Svitolina [8] vs. Alison Riske

Prediction: Svitolina d. Riske in 3.

Varvara Lepchenko vs. Mona Barthel

Prediction: Lepchenko d. Barthel in 2.

Sloane Stephens vs. Louisa Chirico

Prediction: Stephens d. Chirico in 2.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Christina McHale

Prediction: Pavlyuchenkova d. McHale in 3.

Next: US Open Series 2015: Top Women's Storylines

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