After an exciting week of tennis at the Monterrey Open, just four women remain in contention for the title. All will surely be desperate to maintain their momentum ahead of the important Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami. But who will handle the pressure and book their place in the final?
Monterrey Open Semifinal Predictions
Marie Bouzkova vs Johanna Konta
Head-to-head: first meeting
Marie Bouzkova has been playing some of the best tennis of her career so far at the Monterrey Open. The Czech has not yet dropped a set and scored a comfortable win over Wang Yafan in the quarterfinals. Johanna Konta, in contrast, had a rather tougher time in her quarterfinal. But she rallied from a set down, before overcoming a 2-5 deficit in the decider, saving two match points, to beat the Russian young gun Anastasia Potapova.
This will be the first meeting between the pair, but Bouzkova plays a similar game to Potapova, with both most comfortable counter-punching. What may concern Konta, however, is that Bouzkova is in notably better form than the Russian. She will likely make Konta work hard from the baseline and expect her to give little away by way of unforced errors. Konta, after a period of struggle with injury, has done well to reach the semifinals, but expect it to be Bouzkova who secures a spot in the final.
Prediction: Bouzkova in 3
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Arantxa Rus vs Elina Svitolina
Head-to-head: Rus 1-0 Svitolina
Arantxa Rus easily defeated Rebecca Peterson in the quarterfinals at the Monterrey Open, losing just two games in her crushing victory over the Swede. That will surely have given her real confidence heading into this semifinal. But Elina Svitolina also impressed in the quarterfinals, beating the in-form Leylah Annie Fernandez, last week a finalist in Acapulco, in straight-sets. It appears that, after a difficult start to the season, Svitolina is finding some form in Monterrey.
Rus leads the head-to-head 1-0, but their only previous meeting came in 2011, with Svitolina having improved considerably in the intervening nine years. Nonetheless, Rus has been playing very effectively so far at the Monterrey Open, using her lefty-serve well. But Svitolina should present a sterner test. The Ukrainian’s consistency and depth off the ground, as well as her court-coverage, should allow her to neutralise Rus’ game and reach her first final of the season.
Prediction: Svitolina in 3
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