The biggest story of the 2023 WTA Internacionaux de Strasbourg so far has definitely been Elina Svitolina. The former World No. 3 is back into a WTA Tour semifinal and will be trying to repeat her title here from three years ago. Trying to stop her will be the home crowd favorite Clara Burel, while the other two final four players are Lauren Davis and Anna Blinkova. Who do you think will survive until Saturday’s championship match?
WTA Strasbourg Semifinal Predictions
Lauren Davis vs Anna Blinkova
Head-to-head: 1-1
Anna Blinkova seems to be one of the most unpredictable players on the WTA Tour recently with a very high peak level that she doesn’t really deliver consistently. She’s already made two small upsets over Emma Navarro and Anna-Lena Friedsam this week and will be looking for another one here. Lauren Davis beat her in Hobart this year, but Blinkova dominated their match in New Haven four years ago. Their only two prior meetings both came on hard courts though. On clay, this sounds pretty open and the Russian’s upside might be too much if she brings her best quality.
Prediction: Blinkova in 3
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Elena Svitolina vs Clara Burel
Head-to-head: Svitolina 1-0
Elina Svitolina won this event back in 2020, but she’s just starting her comeback trail after a pregnancy. It looks like she’s on the right track though and she’s yet to drop a set this week, beating Louisa Chirico and Varvara Gracheva. Clara Burel is a youngster yet to fully unleash her potential, mostly as her floor and ceiling are quite far away from each other. The former junior World No. 1 seems like she’s always there just behind the top echelon of the game and waiting for her opportunity to strike. If she’s hitting her forehand well she can definitely trouble Svitolina here, but the Ukrainian’s consistency might be the key advantage here in the end.
Prediction: Svitolina in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
