It’s been an incredible week of tennis in Cluj-Napoca so far and the action continues on Day 4 of the WTA Transylvania Open. With two singles Slam champions and other compelling matches on the docket, expect to see high-quality tennis. Who will win and who will fall short? Read on for my best guesses.
WTA Transylvania Open Day 4 Predictions
Mona Barthel vs Marta Kostyuk
Head to Head: never played
Mona Barthel had a solid straight-sets victoy over Anna Bondar in the first round. Barthel’s first serve was a huge weapon for her, winning 78% of her first-serve points. Marta Kostyuk had a comfortable victory over Bernarda Pera in the first round of the Transylvania Open. Kostyuk, who made the final of Tenerife doubles last week, held Pera to an astonishing 49% of her service points won.
These two have never played before. Barthel, when her feet are set, can really rip her groundstrokes. With that said, Kostyuk is able to control her powerful groundstrokes better than Barthel and should be more steady from the ground than Barthel, who has the tendency to spray unforced errors. Kostyuk moves on.
Prediction: Kostyuk in 3
Irina Maria Bara vs Rebecca Peterson
Head to Head: never played
Irina Maria Bara survived getting bageled in the second set of her first-round match with Irina Begu and won the match in three sets. Bara was more clutch in the third set, saving both break points she faced while taking advantage of her only break point on the Begu serve. Rebecca Peterson is riding a six-match winning streak, having won her previous tournament in Rancho Santa Fe and easily beating Jana Fett in the first round of the Transylvania Open. Peterson held Fett to only 46% of her service points won and broke Fett five times during the match.
These two have never played before. Bara did well to win her first-round match, but she doesn’t have nearly enough power to compete with Peterson on a quick indoor hard court. Peterson plays solid tennis and hits with good precision and pace, and that should be enough to guide her to victory in this one.
Prediction: Peterson in 2
Varvara Gracheva vs Simona Halep
Head to Head: never played
Varvara Gracheva survived a tough first-round match in Transylvania, beating Andrea Petkovic in three sets. Gracheva held Petkovic to just 33% on her second serve in the third set and generated eight break points in that set. Simona Halep had an easy win over Elena Gabriela Ruse to start her Transylvania campaign. Halep held Ruse to just 47% service points won, while doing a great job protecting her own serve. Halep only faced one break point, which she saved.
These two have never played before. Gracheva plays solid tennis, but Halep is a much more dynamic player with the biggest weapon on the court in her backhand. She should be able to control the baseline with that shot, combined with her counterpunching abilities, and win this match without too many problems.
Prediction: Halep in 2
Anett Kontaveit vs Alison Van Uytvanck
Head to Head: 2-1 Van Uytvanck
Anett Kontaveit is playing some of the best tennis of her life. Kontaveit won Moscow last week and had a comfortable win in the firt round at the Transylvania Open, beating Aleksandra Krunic in straight sets. Alison Van Uytvanck plays her best tennis indoors and she showed once again what she is capable of in the first round, taking out Danka Kovinic in two sets, holding Kovinic to 50% of her first serves won.
Van Uytvanck leads the head to head 2-1, although it’s 1-1 on hard courts. Van Uytvanck’s touch at the net is terrific and she has a great understanding of when to attack on indoor hard courts. With that said, Kontaveit’s ball-striking has been terrific lately, she’s hitting with an incredible amount of controlled aggression, and I can’t go against her when pickign this matchup. Kontaveit is confident from so much winning and that means something in a tight matchup like this. Kontaveit advances.
Prediction: Kontaveit in 3
Ana Bogdan vs Emma Raducanu
Head to Head: never played
Ana Bogdan took down Ivana Jorovic in straight sets in the first round of the Transylvania Open. Bogdan held Jorovic to 25% of her second serves won and broke the Jorovic serve seven times. Emma Raducanu got her first win since her US Open victory, coming from a set down to beat Polona Hercog in her first-round match. Raducanu held Hercog to 40% of her second serves won and generated 17 break points. during the match, finding a way against a tricky opponent (given Hercog’s brutal backhand slice).
These two have never played before. Bogdan is fast around the court, anticipates well, and hits with consistent depth. But, the surface doesn’t suit her in this matchup, especially against a clean ball-striker who can control the baseline well in Raducanu. Expect some twists and turns in this match, as Raducanu will struggle at times to hit through the Bogdan defenses. But, at the end of the day, Raducanu will do enough to grab the victory.
Prediction: Raducanu in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
