So far there has been plenty of excellent tennis on display at the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy and the excitement should continue on day four with a number of intriguing matches on the slate, including the opening matches for the second and third seeds. But who will book their place in the quarterfinals?
St Petersburg Ladies Trophy Day Four Predictions
Alize Cornet vs Maria Sakkari
Head-to-head: Sakkari 2-0 Cornet
Alize Cornet has found a rich vein of form in St Petersburg, storming through the qualifying and into the last 16 without dropping a set. In the first round, the Frenchwoman hammered 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko for the loss of just three games. As a result, she will surely be full of confidence heading into this match. But she will need to be at her very best to get past the in-form Maria Sakkari, who she has failed to beat in two previous meetings.
And the Greek arrives into this match in good form herself. She impressed at the Australian Open, reaching the fourth round, although she was taken the distance by Vitalia Diatchenko in her opener at the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy. But having come through that test, winning a deciding tiebreak to claim victory, Sakkari should be acclimatised to the conditions and match tough. Expect a close contest here, but Sakkari has that much more variety and power which should be enough to see her over the line.
Prediction: Sakkari in 3
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Alison Van Uytvanck vs Petra Kvitova
Head-to-head: first meeting
Alison Van Uytvanck scored a very creditable first-round win over former-champion Kristina Mladenovic, beating the Frenchwoman 6-1 6-4. But one suspects that third seed Petra Kvitova will put up sterner resistance. The Czech’s Australian Open campaign ultimately ended in a disappointing quarterfinal defeat at the hands of Ashleigh Barty, a match she may well feel she should have won. But her overall level in Melbourne was impressive and the indoor conditions should suit her powerful game. Van Uytvanck has power of her own, but surely not enough to emerge victorious from a firefight with Kvitova.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
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Donna Vekic vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Head-to-head: Vekic 1-0 Alexandrova
This might just prove to be the match of the day. Donna Vekic rather flattered to deceive at the Australian Open, crashing out in the third round at the hands of the Polish young gun Iga Swiatek. But she rebounded from that disappointment in impressive fashion in the first round at the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy, brushing aside Kirstie Ahn 6-4 6-1. That win set up a clash with Shenzhen Open champion and home hope Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The Russian backed up her triumph in Shenzhen by making the third round at Melbourne Park, although she suffered a bruising defeat there at the hands of Kvitova. But she got back to winning ways in her opener in St Petersburg, beating her compatriot Daria Kasatkina in three sets. She may well feel that she has a real chance to test Vekic here and if she is able to use her linear shots to good effect and return aggressively, expect her to seal her place in the last eight.
Prediction: Alexandrova in 3
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Kiki Bertens vs Viktoria Kudermetova
Head-to-head: first meeting
Kiki Bertens arrives at the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy after a frustrating start to 2020. Naturally, the Dutchwoman will look to do most of her damage during the European clay-court swing, but having threatened deep runs in both Brisbane and at the Australian Open, she will surely be disappointed not to have made more of an impact in the first month of the season. Nor does she face an easy task in her St Petersburg opener up against Veronika Kudermetova.
The Russian had a fine run in Hobart, reaching the semifinals, although she was not able to back that up in Melbourne, where she lost in the first round to Sara Sorribes Tormo. But she claimed an excellent first-round win in St Petersburg, battling past Yulia Putintseva in three, and if she is at her very best she may be able to trouble Bertens. That said, anything less will surely not suffice in the face of Bertens’ consistent depth and penetration off the ground.
Prediction: Bertens in 3
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