Barbora Krejcikova and Anett Kontaveit will open proceedings on day one of the WTA Finals in Guadalajara, Mexico. Both players will be competing at the season ending championships for the first time thanks to career best seasons. Kontaveit was the final player to qualify for the tournament, doing so in style when she won back-to-back titles in Moscow and Cluj-Napoca to sneak into the event. Can Kontaveit continue her red-hot form in Guadalajara, or will Krejcikova be too strong?
WTA Finals Day 1 Predictions
Barbora Krejcikova vs Anett Kontaveit
Head-to-head: first meeting
Form is on Kontaveit’s side. The Estonian has won 26 of her last 29 matches as she arrives in Guadalajara at a career high ranking of world #8. It has been a phenomenal couple of months for the 25-year-old who has won four of her five career titles over the last couple of months, all on hard courts. Krejcikova, meanwhile, has been one of the most consistent players on tour since a phenomenal clay court swing which saw her capture a maiden Grand Slam title in Paris.
However, the Czech’s recent form has deteriorated. Krejcikova arrives in Guadalajara having lost her last three matches. Krejcikova lost both of her singles matches at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals last week, beaten by Angelique Kerber and Belinda Bencic.
Kontaveit’s fantastic run has to come to an end. She is undoubtedly the form player heading into the tournament but there’s a concern that she spent so much energy trying to qualify for the event that she won’t have much left to offer. Meanwhile, Krejcikova is also seemingly fatiguing after a long season, her level at the Billie Jean King Cup last week wasn’t her typical level.
This is a tough match to predict, I’ll give the slight edge to Krejcikova. It sounds simplistic, but Kontaveit is due for a loss, overdue in fact. Krejcikova has been the belter player for the majority of the season and is likely to prevail in this matchup more often than not thanks to her greater variety and style. The courts in Guadalajara was expected to be slow, that will favour Krejcikova in this scenario as it gives her more opportunities to unsettle Kontaveit with her variety.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 3
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