Editors note: Belinda Bencic’s match with Oceane Dodin has been delayed by rain.
There should be plenty of entertaining tennis on quarterfinals day at the WTA Sydney Tennis Classic with several big names, including two Grand Slam champions, set to take to the court in New South Wales. But who will book their place in the last four at this crucial Australian Open warm-up event?
WTA Sydney Quarterfinal Predictions
Anett Kontaveit vs Ons Jabeur
Head-to-head: Jabeur 3-1 Kontaveit
Anett Kontaveit had a superb end to 2021, winning three titles in Ostrava, Moscow and Cluj to qualify for the WTA Finals for the first time in her career. She went on to reach the final in Guadalajara after finishing second in her group, but was unable to get the better of Garbine Muguruza there. But if that disappointed has effected her so far in Sydney, she has shown little sign of it, beating Zhang Saisai and Elena-Gabriela Ruse in comprehensive fashion to reach the last eight.
Ons Jabeur missed out on qualification for Guadalajara by a hair’s breadth, but her early season form suggests she will be in the running for a spot at the year-ending championships again this season. She opened her campaign at the WTA Sydney Tennis Classic with a dominant 6-1 6-1 win over Astra Sharma and she backed that up by beating Petra Kvitova 6-4 6-4. She has also been a difficult match-up for Kontaveit. She inflicted a rare late-season defeat on the Estonian last season, expect her to repeat the trick early this season.
Prediction: Jabeur in 3
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Barbora Krejcikova vs Caroline Garcia
Head-to-head: Krejcikova 1-1 Garcia
It will be interesting to see how Barbora Krejcikova copes with the pressure of being a Grand Slam champion this season. The Czech does have a wealth of experience in doubles to call upon and she has also had the better part of seven months to adjust to her new status in singles. But new seasons pose new challenges and she wouldn’t be the first player to struggle with the attendant pressures a Grand Slam title brings. There were few signs of that in her opening win in Sydney however.
She stormed through the first set against Jaqueline Cristian and although the Romanian dug in to make a contest of the second, it was still ultimately a comfortable victory for Krejcikova. The mercurial Caroline Garcia may pose more problems, particularly as the Frenchwoman should be feeling confident after beating Jessica Pegula 6-4 7-6 in her opener, but this looks like a winnable match on paper for Krejcikova. Expect her to advance without encountering too much resistance.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 2
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Daria Kasatkina vs Garbine Muguruza
Head-to-head: Muguruza 3-2 Kasatkina
Daria Kasatkina has hardly been a model of consistency over the course of her career, but there is no doubt that the Russian is a very talented player. One who excels at exploiting her opponent’s weaknesses. She has done just that so far this week at the WTA Sydney Tennis Classic to beat Sofia Kenin, 6-0 6-4, and Elise Mertens, 6-3 6-4. That has earned her a shot at former-world #1 and reigning WTA Finals champion Muguruza.
The Spaniard got her own Sydney campaign with a 6-1 7-6 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova, but one would expect her to face a sterner test up against Kasatkina, who will not be so happy to give her rhythm in the baseline exchanges. But as much as Muguruza is at her best when trading from the baseline, there is more to the Spaniard’s game than just that. If she imposes herself with front foot tennis, she should be able to find a way past Kasatkina.
Prediction: Muguruza in 3
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