We have reached the quarterfinal stage at WTA Brisbane and most of the big hitters have made it through to this stage. This means that there are some mouth-watering matches in prospect for the Australian crowd to savour.
Read our predictions and previews for each WTA Brisbane quarterfinal match below.
WTA Brisbane Quarterfinal Predictions
Danielle Collins vs Madison Keys
Head-to-Head Record: Collins 1-0 Keys
Danielle Collins has ripped through this draw like a hurricane. Despite being the outsider in both of her matches so far, against Elina Svitolina and Yulia Putintseva, she has remarkably lost only three games. It is a scarcely believable run of form and now fellow American Madison Keys is the next obstacle in the path.
Keys herself has hit the ground running. The 24-year-old hasn’t dropped a set yet either and her game was tested by Samantha Stosur in the second round. The Keys serve stood up incredibly well, however, especially the second serve. A 63% win percentage off the second delivery is unusually high, even in a men’s match, this proves how confident the eighth seed is on the line.
At this stage anyone would be reticent to write off Collins. She seems to have been able to recapture her Australian Open 2019 form, perhaps she should petition for more Australian events in the calendar. However, Keys’ quality from the line cannot be ignored. When a top player is serving the way she is they usually come out on top. It’s a really tough call but Keys just about gets the nod over three sets because of her extra class and better serving.
Prediction: Keys in 3
Alison Riske vs Karolina Pliskova
Head-to-Head Record: Pliskova 7-1 Riske
Riske hasn’t beaten the Czech since a meeting on the ITF tour in 2012. However, the last three meetings in 2018 and 2019 were all very close affairs. Both players have serve-oriented games and, unsurprisingly, their matches have regularly featured tie-breaks and very few breaks of serve than average.
The American has seen off Karolina Muchova and Barbora Strycova without dropping a set so far in Brisbane. Therefore, she will be looking to bounce three Czechs in a row in this quarterfinal match-up.
Two time Brisbane champion Pliskova made her 2020 singles return against home hope Ajla Tomljanovic in the second round. She would have been annoyed to lose the second set on a tiebreak but responded brilliantly to dominate the decider.
It is very difficult to ignore Pliskova’s record at this tournament, which now stands at 14 wins and 3 defeats. Marry this to the overwhelming head-to-head record and there are two form lines that suggest a Pliskova victory. Riske will have her say and it may well go the distance but take the Czech to progress to her fourth consecutive WTA Brisbane semifinal.
Prediction: Pliskova in 3
Jennifer Brady vs Petra Kvitova
Head-to-Head Record: Kvitova 1-0 Brady
Jennifer Brady shocked the home crowd in the round of 16 as she put out world #1 and home favourite Ashleigh Barty. She did so in straight sets and thoroughly deserved her victory. The American has won three tiebreaks out of three this week and that clutch play can really help her in this match.
Kvitova has seen off two Russians so far in the tournament. Her match against Ludmilla Samsonova in the previous round was a comfortable 6-3 6-2 victory. The youngster was unable to find any answers to the pace of Kvitova’s serve and groundstrokes. The Czech did not face a breakpoint in the match and took all three of the ones she created. That’s a recipe for success on the tennis court.
This will be Brady’s sixth match since Saturday and fatigue may begin to play a part here. If the American has serious ambitions for the title then that would mean eight matches in eight days, which would be some achievement.
Brady definitely has a shot here because her game could get into Kvitova’s head and cause her to start making the unforced errors she can be capable of. However, the way that Kvitova has started to play puts warning signs amongst the very top players. She is very dangerous and she should make it through this tough encounter.
Prediction: Kvitova in 3
Naomi Osaka vs Kiki Bertens
Head-to-Head Record: Bertens 2-1 Osaka
The head-to-head record between this pair is misleading. The two victories attributed to Bertens came from a retirement and a walkover, so the Dutchwoman hasn’t actually beaten Osaka in a completed match.
It will be tricky for Bertens to be able to change that statistic here as well. Osaka extended her winning streak to 13 matches by coming back from a set down against Sofia Kenin in the previous round. The way Osaka was able to turn her game up and pressure Kenin into a collapse showed both great ability and tenacity from the Japanese.
Bertens also showed a good deal of both of those traits in her own battle with Anett Kontaveit in round two. The Dutchwoman has exceeded all expectations most people had of her on any surface outside of clay. Bertens is now a legitimate top ten all-court player and will ask questions of Osaka in this quarterfinal.
However, Osaka should be able to produce the answers. She has hit the ground running in 2020 and looks to be playing almost as well as during her 2018/2019 Grand Slam-winning period. Take the Japanese to win in straight sets.
Prediction: Osaka in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
