Well, who saw that coming? Iga Swiatek’s shock defeat to Caroline Garcia has left the door open for an surprise WTA champion in Warsaw. And while the world #1’s fairy-tale homecoming has come to an end, four players still remain with a chance of completing a dream week here. Here’s how they line up on Saturday.
WTA Warsaw Semifinal Predictions
Kateryna Baindl vs Ana Bogdan
Head-to-head: 2-1 Bogdan
There’s a lot on the line for these two players, both of whom came into this week outside the world’s Top 100. To get to the final of a WTA250 would be a major scalp, and the pair have met in the none-too-distant past, with Bogdan winning the pair’s two matches last year. Bogdan has been in destructive form this week too. She hasn’t dropped a set in three matches in and has lost just six games in the last two rounds. Baindl’s journey here–which included the qualification stage–has been rather more arduous, though a three-set comeback over the in-form Petra Martic will certainly help her confidence. Bogdan’s good form puts her in good stead for this one though.
Prediction: Bogdan in 2
Caroline Garcia vs Jasmine Paolini
Head-to-head: 2-0 Garcia
Garcia’s topsy-turvy three-set win over Iga Swiatek was perhaps one of the surprises of the season. Apart from upsetting the home Warsaw crowd, the win highlighted how good Garcia has been recently. She won on grass in Homburg, made the fourth round at Wimbledon and has looked steady since the return to European clay too. The head-to-head record between the pair has been fairly comprehensive in Garcia’s favour, including a straight sets win on clay recently in Switzerland. That’s not to say Paolini is out of the picture though. The diminutive Italian is adept at creating vicious angles and certainly doesn’t lack for power either. This match certainly has the potential for another upset, but it’s hard to pick against anyone who can beat Swiatek right now.
Prediction: Garcia in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
