Sunday in Cincinnati will feature the final on the WTA side, with a very unexpected matchup between two unseeded players to decide the title.
WTA Cincinnati Final Prediction
Petra Kvitova vs Caroline Garcia
Head-to-head: Kvitova 5-3 Garcia
This is a very surprising final to say the least. Not only are both players very far from their best, but they had never had any success at this tournament: Kvitova has two Grand Slam titles and eight titles (in 11 finals) at WTA 1000 level, but her record at Cincinnati was a mediocre 12-10 prior to this week, with no final appearances. Garcia, on the other hand, had never even got past the third round at this tournament, coming into this week with a 5-7 record.
The head-to-head is very balanced and this match could genuinely go either way; Kvitova is the much bigger server and hitter, which is undoubtedly an advantage on a fast surface like this, but Garcia is the more consistent and reliable player off the ground. One of the previous times they faced was precisely at this venue, with Garcia coming through in 3 sets in 2015. A final is, however, very different of course and Kvitova tends to perform very well in big finals (perhaps because with her style she can only reach finals when she’s in top form), with two wins in three at Slam level, one in two in WTA Finals and eight in 11 at WTA 1000 level. Garcia has far less experience at this level, but both times that she reached a WTA 1000 final, she won it, both in the end of 2017.
It’s a very tough match to call, but it does feel like the outcome will be mostly on Kvitova’s racket. If she can serve close to her best and limit unforced errors, she should be able to overpower Garcia and claim a ninth WTA 1000 title. Garcia will surely have her chances too, though, and this could be a very tight match.
Prediction: Kvitova in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
