New Haven Semi Preview: Caroline Wozniacki And More

Aug 19, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) returns a shot against Victoria Azarenka (not pictured) on day five during the Western and Southern Open tennis tournament at Linder Family Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

WTA New Haven Semifinal Preview and Predictions: Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova and More

With the US Open draw now released, attention has now turned to the final grand slam of the year and Serena Williams’ quest for a career grand slam.

But there is still an ongoing tournament in New Haven, where four women will be competing for a spot in Saturday’s championship match.

Friday’s semifinals will see Caroline Wozniacki and Petra Kvitova square off, while Lucie Safarova and lucky loser Lesia Tsurenko will preview their first round US Open match.

Here are some quick thoughts on today’s matches:

Caroline Wozniacki [3] vs Petra Kvitova [2]

The two biggest names in the draw will face off in the semifinals for a much-needed spot in the New Haven final. Both Caroline Wozniacki and Petra Kvitova had not won a match since Wimbledon coming into this week, and were severely lacking in match time. Although far from their best, both women have improved this week.

Wozniacki’s week has been extremely bipolar thus far. She claimed two blistering victories against Alison Riske and Caroline Garcia, garnering a bagel against both players. She also clutched an exceptionally tight match against Roberta Vinci in a third set tiebreak, although Wozniacki has always had trouble defeating the Italian.

Meanwhile, Kvitova has only played two matches as a result of her first round bye. She defeated Madison Keys in her first match – hardly surprising given Key’s inability to win consecutive matches. Kvitova was fine enough, but really benefitted from the unforced errors made by an imploding Keys. Kvitova’s victory over Agnieszka Radwanska was far more impressive though. Aga undoubtedly struggled in the match, both with her form and from lethargy. Down 3-5 in the final, the Czech appeared to fall back into the habit of losing concentration and spraying errors. But Kvitova managed to reign in her big groundstrokes at clutch moments to eventually take the match in two sets.

Wozniacki leads the head-to-head 5-4, and has won the last two encounters between the pair. Wozniacki’s court coverage seems to be a nice counterpoint to Kvitova’s booming lefty forehand. The Dane has the ability to retrieve so many balls to frustrate Kvitova into becoming erratic. On the other hand, a top-notch Kvitova can hit her way through Wozniacki’s defence. As far as pairings come, this one is evening matched.

Neither woman is performing like a top-5 player at the moment. Wozniacki is recovering from injury, and Kvitova is still suffering from Mononucleosis. As a result, both women are committing errors that they usually do not make. Having said that, both of the women love New Haven, with Wozniacki being a 4-time champion and Kvitova a 2-time champion. So if there’s any court that they are capable of bringing their A-game out on, it’s this one.

It’s a toss up, but I’ll go for Wozniacki on this one. The Dane has had more match time to hone her game and two of her three victories have been decidedly one-sided, while Kvitova’s have been exceedingly close. Ultimately, Wozniacki will be able to eke out victory by agitating Kvitova into hitting a multitude of errors.

Prediction: Wozniacki in 3.

Who Will Win: Petra Kvitova or Caroline Wozniacki?

Lesia Tsurenko [LL] vs Lucie Safarova [4]

It would sure be something if lucky loser Lesia Tsurenko went on to win the Premier tournament in New Haven! It’s been a tumultuous week for the Ukrainian. After losing 6-1, 6-0 to Yulia Putintseva in the qualifying competition, Tsurenko gained entry into the main draw as a result of Simona Halep’s withdrawal. Since then, she hasn’t looked back. Receiving a bye into the second round, Tsurenko demolished Barbora Strycova 6-3, 6-0. A far more impressive performance was her 6-2, 6-2 victory over top ten player Karolina Pliskova. Pliskova was fatigued, and Tsurenko’s outstanding movement, clean ball striking and increased aggression stamped the Czech’s ticket to New York.

Safarova’s week has been just as impressive, as she has avenged some of her recent defeats. After taking out her Toronto conqueror Daria Gavrilova 6-3, 6-4, Safarova took out the woman who took her out in Moscow last year, Irina-Camelia Begu by the same scoreline. She then managed to solve the puzzle of Dominika Cibulkova – someone who Safarova has had a lot of trouble with in the past – in a VERY tight three-set quarterfinal match. After some unremarkable performances on the hard courts, Safarova has managed to control her sheer power and win successive matches.

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Safarova leads their head-to-head 1-0, with her sole encounter taking place 2 years ago at the US Open. Their match went to three tight sets and occurred when both players were far from the from they’re in now.

Although they are the two lower-ranked players left in the draw, I actually favour the victor of this match to go on and win the tournament. Ultimately, I think this match comes down to Safarova. She’s the player with the weapons – the big lefty serve and forehand. If she can utilise those effectively and limit her unforced error count, Tsurenko should have no answer. Safarova also has much more experience in the later stages of Premier tournaments, having won Doha this year. Tsurenko, meanwhile has only reached one Premier semifinal in Brisbane 2 years ago.

Overall, I’ll go with the experienced player with the bigger game in Safarova. But don’t be surprised if Tsurenko somehow pulls this one out. Her path to the semifinals has been extraordinary so anything is possible.

Prediction: Lucie Safarova in 3.

Who do you think will reach Saturday’s final? Will Tsurenko continue her incredible run? Or will we see an all-Czech championship match? Let us know in the comments below!

Next: Thoughts and Predictions for the US Open Draw

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