We have finally reached the final in Nurnberg. Top-seeded Yulia Putintseva didn’t have an easy time all week, but she made her way through to the final. On the other side of the net is Tamara Zidansek. People might not know who Zidansek is yet, but that’s something that should change very quickly. Maybe the French Open this year won’t be the 21-year-old’s breakout Slam, but she’ll be a household name soon.
WTA Nurnberg Final Prediction: Yulia Putintseva vs Tamara Zidansek
Head-to-Head: Zidansek 1-0 Putintseva
Zisansek has had a strong clay season, while her record might not show it. She reached the quarterfinals in Bogota before falling to Lara Arruabarrena. That’s a very important thing to note about Zidansek this clay season–all of her losses have come to very good players. (Well, with the exception of Rabat, where she lost to qualifier Ysaline Bonaventura–who definitely is on the rise.) She lost twice to Ajla Tomljanovic and once to the aforementioned Arruabarrena.
Putintseva has had a strong clay season herself. She was solid in her semifinal here against Sorana Cirstea. She picked up a win over Lesia Tsurenko, and her losses in Madrid and Rome came against Ashleigh Barty and Petra Kvitova, respectively. Of course, she did fall in the first round of Rabat. That loss came in a tight three sets to, you guessed it, Tamara Zidansek.
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Putintseva is the better player right now with far more experience. It’s hard to deny Zidansek’s raw talent, though, especially on clay. The 21-year-old Slovenian is going to be a name to watch out for in the future. She’s young and finally making her breakthrough. She’ll be trouble in this match, and in the French Open as well.
Who will win?
Expect this to be a very tight match that could go either way. Neither player is a heavy favorite, and neither should be favored at all. People will lean towards Putintseva because she is the No. 1 seed here, but all that does is add pressure to her. Zidansek will be swinging free and confident. She knows that she can beat Putintseva–she’s done it before–and she has the relaxed pressure of no real expectations. In a very tight match, that might just be enough to put her over the edge. This is an impossible match to call, but if I’m forced to, I’m going with the 21-year-old.
Prediction: Zidansek in 3
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