It’s going to be an all-Russian final at the 2023 WTA Den Bosch Open and it really should be an excellent match. Both ladies have been on fire this week and are yet to drop a set. They’re also one of the best grass-court players on tour. Who do you think will clinch the title?
WTA Den Bosch Final Prediction
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Veronika Kudermetova
Head-to-head: Kudermetova 2-1 Alexandrova
Veronika Kudermetova has been extremely solid in Hertogenbosch over the last few years, making the quarterfinals in 2019 and the semifinals in 2021 and 2022. She has now managed to go a step further and really couldn’t have been more comfortable along the way. The 26-year-old hasn’t dropped more than three games in a set so far and basically hasn’t been pushed yet.
Ekaterina Alexandrova’s victories haven’t been quite as lopsided, but she’s also yet to drop a set so far in this event. It could be argued that her path was trickier though, mostly with the inclusion of Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the semifinals. The Belarusian was indeed one of the two players who managed to take her to a tie-breaker, alongside Kimberly Birrell.
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Alexandrova is the defending champion in Hertogenbosch and she earned that victory with a stunning run that included a 6-3 6-1 thrashing of Kudermetova. It was the only time she managed to beat her countrywoman with two matches she lost against her in 2019. They were also scheduled to meet in Adelaide this year, but Alexandrova was eventually forced to withdraw.
Kudermetova has been really dominant so far, but this will be a completely different challenge. With her flat-hitting and a very serve/return-oriented game, Alexandrova can put so much pressure on her opponents as long as she manages to keep the error count reasonably low. That’s what makes her such an amazing grass-courter and while it will be tough to dominate Kudermetova like she did last year, it seems like she does hold a small matchup advantage on this surface.
Prediction: Alexandrova in 3
Main photo credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
