With the round of 16 complete, it is time for an exciting day of quarterfinal action at the Palermo Ladies Open. After a couple of years away, the tournament has been a success back in Sicily. Though top seed Kiki Bertens has been in dominant form, the other three top four seeds have already exited. But who will book their place in the semifinals?
Palermo Ladies Open Quarterfinal Predictions
Kiki Bertens vs Jasmine Paolini
Head-to-head: first meeting
Kiki Bertens has been a woman on a mission in Palermo. In two matches, she has only dropped a total of five games, as she has held and broken serve with ease. Playing tennis of that quality, she will be tough for any opponent to stop. Jasmine Paolini, meanwhile, has been playing well all week and at a level above her ranking. She just held her nerve in a match against Irina-Camelia Begu that finished in a third set tie-break. She has shown she can handle the pressure of the crucial moments, but it is set to be a quick turnaround after a long match and Bertens is a real step up in quality.
Prediction: Bertens in 2
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Jil Teichmann vs Anna-Lena Friedsam
Head to head: first meeting
Both players have played extremely well this week, especially Anna-Lena Friedsam. Friedsam has been a top 50 player and it seems like she is regaining the sort of form that took her to those lofty heights after her career was disrupted by injuries. The 22-year-old Teichmann is at a career-high ranking of world #82 and looks to have the potential to rise even higher. Both players are most at home on the clay and this should be a close match as a result. But after upsetting Andrea Petkovic earlier this year in Nuremberg and beating the second seed Alize Cornet in straight sets in the second round, expect the confident Friedsam to reach the semifinals.
Prediction: Friedsam in 3
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Fiona Ferro vs Ludmilla Samsonova
Head to head: Ferro 1-0 Samsonova
These two have only played once with Fiona Ferro claiming a straight-sets victory in the final on the Italian clay courts in Padua last season. The Frenchwoman also comes into this match in great form having recently won the title in Lausanne. Samsonova has shown this week that she is more than capable on clay, but it is hard not to back the thriving Ferro on her favourite surface.
Prediction: Ferro in 2
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Paula Badosa Gibert vs Arantxa Rus
Head to head: Badosa Gibert 1-1 Rus
This may be the most intriguing match of the tournament so far. Arantxa Rus and Paula Badosa Gibert first met on the clay all the way back in 2013 in a qualifying match in Vallduxo, Spain. That match ended with a lop-sided 6-0 6-0 victory for the lefty Rus. But Badosa Gibert has improved considerably in the six years since so don’t expect a repeat of that.
This quarterfinal should end up more like their match in Morocco last year which went the distance before Badosa Gibert managed to come from behind to claim a well-deserved win. The Spaniard is playing at a high level, whilst Rus upset the third seed Kuzmova, with neither player having dropped a set so far in Palermo. But something has got to give and Rus has the edge in terms of experience. That could just prove decisive.
Prediction: Rus in 3
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