The second round of the 2019 WTA Linz Open will be completed on day four in Austria. Top-seeded Kiki Bertens will face Alison Van Uytvanck and could be in for a tough day at the office. Who will reach the quarterfinals in Austria?
Linz Open Day Four Predictions
Kristina Mladenovic vs Donna Vekic
Head-to-head: Mladenovic 2-2 Vekic
Donna Vekic was very impressive in her dismissal of Polona Hercog in the first round, giving up just two games. Vekic is an extremely clean-ball striker, who can produce fantastic angles off the ground. Her game is very well suited to indoor conditions and she’s a much more consistent player than Kristina Mladenovic. The Frenchwoman had one of her better days in the opening round, beating Katerina Siniakova 6-1 7-5. The head-to-head between Vekic and Mladenovic is tied at two wins apiece, but it’s the Croat who has won both their meetings this year. Expect her to prove too strong for Mladenovic once again in Linz.
Prediction: Vekic in 2
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Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Laura Siegemund
Head-to-head: first meeting
Ekaterina Alexandrova was the runner-up here last year and she clearly feels at home playing indoors. Laura Siegemund, meanwhile, already has three win under her belt at the Linz Open and although none of them were dominant, the German always managed to find a way to come out on top. However, Alexandrova will mark a real step up in the quality of her opponent. The Russian was down a set to Kristyna Pliskova in the first round, but she recovered superbly to close out the match in dominant fashion, losing just one more game. Alexandrova plays with both power and court-craft and that combination should see her over the line against Siegemund comfortably enough.
Prediction: Alexandrova in 2
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Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Viktoria Kuzmova
Head-to-head: Pavlyuchenkova 1-1 Kuzmova
The two played each other here last year, with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova triumphing 7-5 7-5. But Viktoria Kuzmova has undeniably made real progress since. The 21-year-old Slovak progressed to regularly playing on the WTA Tour and is sitting around the top 50 in the rankings. However, Pavlyuchenkova has been in much better form recently. The Russian had a brilliant run to the final of the Toray Pan Pacific Open and has likely brought this form back to Europe. It’s not a complete mismatch of power, but Pavlyuchenkova is likely to dominate the points and play this one on her own terms.
Prediction: Pavlyuchenkova in 2
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Alize Cornet vs Jelena Ostapenko
Head-to-head: Cornet 1-0 Ostapenko
She might be inconsistent and unpredictable but when she’s on, Jelena Ostapenko is extremely tough to stop. Tamara Korpatsch has felt it on her own skin on Wednesday when she was absolutely stomped by the Latvian and never got any occasion to jump back into the match. The 2013 Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli is a surprise new addition to Ostapenko’s team (for now only for this week) and their first match together went very well. The Latvian might benefit from having a powerful figure around. Alize Cornet defeated Barbora Strycova in the first round and is a stable enough baseliner to take the opportunity should Ostapenko have a bad day at the office. However, after today’s display against Korpatsch, it’s hard not to believe in the Latvian.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 3
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Kiki Bertens vs Alison Van Uytvanck
Head-to-head: Van Uytvanck 1-0 Bertens
Bertens will spend the next two weeks trying to gather enough points to secure hersel a WTA Finals berth. As we know, every player reacts differently to this type of pressure. Belinda Bencic, Berten’s main rival for the eighth spot, certainly didn’t handle it well, losing to qualifier Anna-Lena Friedsam in the first round here. Bertens also didn’t have an easy job to do in her opening match, having to face Misaki Doi. However, the Dutchwoman managed to escape the in-form Japanese with relative ease.
Van Uytvanck is a nightmare draw for Bertens. The Belgian has a very impressive indoor pedigree, including three WTA titles. She’s been playing extremely well lately, capturing a title in Hiroshima two weeks ago. In these conditions, there won’t be a difference in class between the two. Van Uytvanck’s aggressive and risky game is extremely hard to survive when she’s on and if she manages to create pace and keep Bertens on the back foot, she should have a very good chance at an upset here.
Prediction: Van Uytvanck in 3
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