Two seeded players, a qualifier, and a wild card have made it to the semifinal round at the WTA Prague Open. It feels like the perfect cocktail for what should be an entertaining day of tennis in the Czech’s capital. As always, we have both of those matches covered in our daily predictions.
WTA Prague Semifinal Predictions
Marie Bouzkova vs Linda Noskova
Head-to-head: first meeting
There is a slew of talented teenagers coming through the ranks in the Czech tennis fraternity. One of them is at full throttle at the 2022 Prague Open. 17-year-old Linda Noskova is guaranteed to crack the top 100 for the first time on Monday thanks to her breakthrough run on home turf. Noskova defeated former top 20 player Mihaela Buzarnescu in just her second WTA main draw match. She then authored a major upset in the second round by eliminating the wily Frenchwoman, Alize Cornet. Her quarterfinal match against Nao Hibino was less dramatic after the Japanese lucky loser retired midway through their encounter with injury. Marie Bouzkova, meanwhile, has maximized her experience to take down two teenagers in the draw and is now the odds-on favorite to win her first title this weekend. I think Bouzkova, at her best, should be too consistent in this matchup.
Prediction: Bouzkova in 2
Anastasia Potapova vs Qiang Wang
Head-to-head: first meeting
Anastasia Potapova is finally living to her vast teenage potential. Potapova was one of several young players whose progress was slowed down by the pandemic in 2020. It took her a while to get going again, but she has been unstoppable this week. In fact, this is her third straight semifinal and is the highest remaining seed in the draw. Her quarterfinal masterclass over Anett Kontaveit is the most complete performance of the week so far. Not many players can outhit the Estonian from the back of the court. But the Russian executed the perfect balance between aggression and power to blow the top seed away and gain revenge from last week’s defeat in Hamburg. Potapova will face a resurgent Wang Qiang who scaled the qualifying hurdles to reach her first WTA semifinal since February. Wang has the tools to combat Potapova’s firepower, but the Russian is clearly in the zone right now to be kept at bay for long.
Prediction: Potapova in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
