Six of the top eight seeds are still alive at the WTA Stuttgart Tennis Grand Prix and there should be some great tennis in Germany as a result. All eight players left in contention will surely be desperate to keep their chances of winning the title alive, but who will book their place in the semifinals?
WTA Stuttgart Tennis Grand Prix Quarterfinal Predictions
Elina Svitolina vs Petra Kvitova
Head-to-head: Kvitova 7-4 Svitolina
These two have quite a history, having met eleven times over the course of their career’s. Petra Kvitova has the advantage as far as previous meetings are concerned, with seven victories, but it is Elina Svitolina who has won their last three contests. That being said, Kvitova is the defending champion at the WTA Stuttgart Tennis Grand Prix and clearly likes playing in Germany.
She beat Australian Open runner-up Jennifer Brady comfortably in her first match before overcoming Maria Sakkari in an epic encounter to book her place in the quarterfinals. Svitolina has also played good tennis so far in Stuttgart, although she has played just the one match, winning 7-6 6-3 against Angelique Kerber after a first-round bye. The scoreline does not entirely reflect how close the match was, with Kerber throwing away a solid advantage in the first-set tiebreak.
Nonetheless, Svitolina was the deserved winner and must now turn her attention to Kvitova. The Czech will be keen to stop Svitolina’s winning streak against her and should do just that if she continues hitting winners at the rate she has so far in Germany. Svitolina moves well and is a brilliant counterpuncher, but few can live with Kvitova when she is finding her mark. The defending champion should move on here.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
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Simona Halep vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Head-to-head: Alexandrova 2-1 Halep
It is somewhat surprising to see Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarterfinals in Stuttgart. The Russian is far more comfortable on hard courts and her flat groundstrokes are more suited to them as well. However, solid hitting from both wings is rewarded on any surface and that is precisely what Alexandrova has delivered so far this week. But although few would have predicted her presence this late in the tournament, this is actually a good matchup for the Russian. She owns a 2-1 lead in her head-to-head with Simona Halep, although all three matches have been played on hard courts.
Halep is one of the best clay courters on the women’s tour. Her speed around the court and ability to get balls back in play make her a nightmare to come up against on this surface. Players who play with little margin such as Alexandrova often struggle to sustain the level required to hit through Halep for two sets. The Russian has done well to make it this far, but Halep – who opened her campaign with an impressive 6-1 6-3 win over Marketa Vondrousova – should be able to level the head-to-head here on her favourite surface.
Prediction: Halep in 2
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Aryna Sabalenka vs Anett Kontaveit
Head-to-head: Sabalenka 3-0 Kontaveit
Aryna Sabalenka seems to be figuring things out on the red dirt so far in 2021. The surface has previously troubled the Belarusian, but she has not dropped a set so far at the WTA Stuttgart Tennis Grand Prix. The world #7 looks to be in contention for the trophy this week, if she can keep playing with patience and wait for opportunities to unleash her immense power that is.
Maintain the level she has displayed so far this week and she will be very tough to beat. But she faces a tough quarterfinal test in the shape of Anett Kontaveit. The Estonian is very comfortable on the clay and has looked superb so far in Stuttgart. She dispatched an out of sorts Sofia Kenin in straight sets in the second round, crucially managing to keep her error count down. She will need to do that again here if she is to have a chance of winning this match.
Sabalenka has dominated their previous meetings, but none of those matches have come on the clay. Ultimately, Kontaveit is the better player on this surface. This is likely to be her best shot at getting on the scoreboard as far as their head-to-head is concerned. This may go the distance, but Kontaveit should have the edge.
Prediction: Kontaveit in 3
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Ashleigh Barty vs Karolina Pliskova
Head-to-head: Barty 4-2 Pliskova
It was perhaps slightly unfair to Karolina Pliskova to write her off early on in this tournament. The Czech has showed a lot of heart and grit to come through two three setters and make the quarterfinals in Stuttgart. She has been undeniably out of form and out of sorts in 2021, but the Czech has shown glimmers of her best tennis in Germany. She is also a former champion here which certainly counts for something. However, she needed a career-tying 21 aces to come through her last match against Jelena Ostapenko. She likely won’t be able to repeat that serving display in the quarterfinals and also faces a much tougher test against the red-hot Ashleigh Barty.
Barty has transitioned onto the clay seamlessly, despite not playing on the surface at all last year. The Australian is fresh from defending her title in Miami and would doubtless love to win back-to-back trophies here. Her variety makes her a real threat, with Barty possessing superb touch, allowing her to beat her opponent’s with slices, drop shots and lobs at the perfect times in rallies. Barty also leads the head-to-head comfortably, suggesting that this is not a good matchup for Pliskova.
The Czech has the advantage of more time on court. Outside of that, there isn’t much going for her here. If she serves well, she could keep it close, but one suspects that she will spend most of this match running around the court chasing all manner of shots. Pliskova tends to lose matches where she has to do that, with court movement being a real issue for her. Barty has too much variety and is too smart a player to let Pliskova stand and deliver. The world #1 should make the semifinals comfortably enough.
Prediction: Barty in 2
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