After a breathless and stormy week that was heavily affected by rain, the WTA Lausanne Open will crown a first-time WTA champion on Sunday. But will it be the top seed and recent-French Open semifinalist Tamara Zidansek or 20-year-old former junior world #1 Clara Burel who comes out on top in Switzerland?
WTA Lausanne Open Final Prediction
Tamara Zidansek vs Clara Burel
Head-to-head: first meeting
The weather is definitely the starting point. The tournament organizers were tested in their efforts to fit most of the matches during the course of the week with heavy rains washed out pretty much the entire schedule for three days. There were concerns the event wouldn’t beat Sunday’s deadline of hosting the final match. But thankfully the forecast was better in the past couple of days as anticipated. And the final at WTA Lausanne Open guarantees a first-time champion.
Tamara Zidansek has lived up to the billing as the top seed this week. Following a tremendous run to her maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open last month, Zidansek has become a national treasure back home. As a result of her exploits in Paris have brought more scrutiny – from media to fans. She was not quite as efficient in Lausanne as she was at Roland Garros, but was still mindful of her task.
The Slovenian was pushed to three sets by the unseeded duo of Marina Melnikova and Lucia Bronzetti en route to the final. Her victory over Maryna Zanevska in the last four turned out to be her easiest at the WTA Lausanne Open. Zidansek has dropped her serve just three times and completed a 7-5 6-3 win over the woman who had conquered the third seed and home hope Jil Teichmann in the first round.
The top seed will face 20-year-old Clara Burel in the championship match. Burel reached her maiden WTA final with a comeback victory over her compatriot Caroline Garcia. She won 5-7 6-2 6-2 in two hours and 25 minutes. Burel’s week has been anything but straightforward. After completing a routine win in beating Swiss wild card Susan Bandecchi, Burel survived a slugfest in the second round. She trailed Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3 2-0 when rain halted play on Thursday. On resumption almost 24 hours later, the young Frenchwoman suddenly hit her stride and completed an unlikely win in three sets.
Zidansek lost both of her previous WTA finals – the most recent one coming in Bogota in April. But she comes into Sunday’s match on the back of a career-best season. Her biggest asset remains her counterpunching ability. If she is able to fend off Burel’s power-packed by returning with interest, she could give the world #125 plenty to ponder.
Burel, on her part, packs a punchy forehand that has terrorized the likes of Fiona Ferro and Carolina Garcia in back-to-back matches. But there is a huge question mark regarding her fitness. She lost her footing midway through the semifinals and took a medical timeout to tape up her ankle. If Burel’s movement is affected, it lessens her chances of clinching her maiden WTA title. Zidansek’s athleticism and superior court coverage should give her the edge, and nerves are bound to kick in for Burel.
Prediction: Zidansek in 3
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