Expect plenty of entertaining action on quarterfinal day at the WTA Stuttgart Open with four intriguing matches on the schedule and several star names set to take to the court. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for all four quarterfinals, but who will book their place in the semifinals?
WTA Stuttgart Quarterfinal Predictions
Ons Jabeur vs Paula Badosa
Head-to-head: Badosa 2-1 Jabeur
This promises to be an excellent match. Both Paula Badosa and Ons Jabeur have been amongst the leading lights on the WTA Tour over the last year or so, particularly the Spaniard. They both also played some fine tennis so far this week. Badosa started her campaign at the WTA Stuttgart Open, after a first-round bye, with the tough assignment of Elena Rybakina. But Badosa dug deep to score a 6-2 4-6 7-6 win over the Kazakh and earn her spot in the quarterfinals.
Jabeur, meanwhile, also had to come through a tough test in her opener, but got the better of former French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova, 4-6 6-2 6-3. She backed that up with another fine win, beating Daria Kasatkina 6-3 6-3. She has, however, lost two out of her three meetings with Badosa. This does still feel like a close rivalry, but perhaps one that Badosa will generally have the edge in. Particularly on the clay.
Prediction: Badosa in 3
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Anett Kontaveit vs Aryna Sabalenka
Head-to-head: Sabalenka 4-0 Kontaveit
Somewhat surprisingly, given the considerable quality of both players, Aryna Sabalenka has dominated this rivalry, winning all four of the matches they have played. That includes a three-set victory at this very event last season. But Anett Kontaveit is not a player to be underestimated. The Estonian has looked sharp so far at the WTA Stuttgart Open, beating former-world #1 Angelique Kerber and Ekaterina Alexandrova in back-to-back three-set thrillers to reach the last eight.
Sabalenka enjoyed a first-round bye, before beating Bianca Andreescu in the second round. The Belarusian has not been at her best so far this season, but performed creditably in her win over the Canadian. She also has a game well-suited for the clay. There are few who can go toe-to-toe with the Belarusian and end up on the winning side. In theory, Kontaveit should be capable of doing just that. But so far, that has proven to be beyond her.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 3
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Laura Siegemund vs Ludmilla Samsonova
Head-to-head: first meeting
Ludmilla Samsonova has discovered a rich vein of form of late. The Russian reached the third round at the third round in Indian Wells and, although she failed to back that up in Miami, she has impressed so far in Stuttgart. She started her week with a dominant 6-0 6-0 win over Chloe Paquet, before beating sixth seed Karolina Pliskova 6-4 6-4. Laura Siegemund beat Tamara Zidansek 6-3 6-3 in the first round before benefitting from Maria Sakkari’s retirement when leading the Greek 6-4 3-1. But though the German is a solid clay-courter, Samsonova is the better player of the two. Expect the Russian to have too much for Siegemund.
Prediction: Samsonova in 3
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Iga Swiatek vs Emma Raducanu
Head-to-head: first meeting
This is some match. Especially for the quarterfinals. That is another reminder of the remarkable depth in the WTA Tour’s ranks. Emma Raducanu has clearly found adapting to life as a Grand Slam champion less than straightforward, but she has shown so far this week that whilst form is temporary, class is permanent. The Briton hammered Storm Sanders in the first round, losing just three games in a 6-1 6-2 win, before beating Tamara Korpatsch 6-0 2-6 6-1 in a see-sawing encounter.
World #1 Iga Swiatek continued her superb run of form, claiming her 13th victory on the bounce with a 6-1 6-1 over home hope Eva Lys. The Pole is in the form of her life, or at least something close to it, and will surely be hoping to maintain her momentum ahead of the French Open. That will not be an entirely straightforward task, but Swiatek has the quality to do it. Raducanu should make life more difficult than Lys, but expect the world’s best to have enough.
Prediction: Swiatek in 3
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