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WTA Brisbane International 2019 Final Preview and Prediction: Lesia Tsurenko vs Karolina Pliskova

The final of WTA Brisbane International 2019 will be Lesia Tsurenko’s first career Premier final. Her opponent Karolina Pliskova will attempt to regain the title she won in 2017. Tsurenko has looked unbeatable this week, and is one match away to seal a perfect week in Brisbane. The Ukrainian will be playing in her fifth career final, and she holds a perfect 4-0 record in the previous finals. She easily dispatched Anett Kontaveit, and the US Open champion Naomi Osaka in her last two matches.

For Karolina Pliskova, the week has been a struggle until the semifinals where she played her best tennis to overpower Donna Vekic 6-3 6-4. In that match, Pliskova recorded her highest first serve percentage at 74, and struck an incredible 30 winners. The Czech triumphed in Brisbane two years ago, and is looking to become a 3rd two-time champion there, following in the footsteps of Serena Williams (2013-14), and Victoria Azarenka (2009, 2016). Pliskova is 11-11 in career finals, but has won five of the last six.

This will be the fifth meeting between the pair, but only two matches have taken place on tour level. Tsurenko beat Pliskova in New Haven in 2015, and Pliskova avenged that loss in their most recent match in Madrid in 2017.

By reaching the semifinals, Tsurenko is guarenteed to rise to a a career best ranking of World No.25, and by winning the title, she would rise to #23.

Who will win the WTA Brisbane International 2019?

Both the two players are locked at 1-1 on tour level on head-to-head, but on the basis of what we have seen this week, Tsurenko has been well above the rest in terms of performance levels. She has closed out matches with little fuss. The manner in which she kept putting the balls back in play against Osaka totally confused the Japanese woman. It was no surprise to see Osaka very agitated, and upset during the sit-down with her coach. Nothing was working she said. That is exactly what Anett Kontaveit found out while playing the Ukrainian. Pliskova will need to match or even better her first serve percentage from her semifinals match against Vekic if she wants to beat Tsurenko.

I am very surprised to see Pliskova as a big favorite according to the odds makers. Tsurenko is 4-0 in career finals, and this is her first Premier final which she has managed to reach in impressive style. Surely smart value would be on Tsurenko, who will undoubtedly be Pliskova’s toughest opponent this week.

Prediction: Tsurenko in 2.

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