We’ve reached the quarterfinal stage of the 2023 WTA Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest. The most exciting of the last eight matches seems to be former Roland Garros semifinalist Nadia Podoroska against one of the best performers of this year’s French Open, Elina Avanesyan. Who do you think will prevail?
WTA Budapest Quarterfinal Predictions
Fanny Stollar vs Kateryna Baindl
Head-to-head: Baindl 1-0
Fanny Stollar has been a consistent presence in this tournament since 2017, but the only previous time when she managed to win a main draw match was exactly then, six years ago. The 24-year-old is rarely showing the level of talent that we saw in her back then, although she definitely did in her win against Tatjana Maria in the second round (saved two match points). Now she gets to play another seasoned pro who’s already taken out a couple of local players. Kateryna Baindl will be a tough ask for Stollar.
Prediction: Baindl in 2
Maria Timofeeva vs Kaja Juvan
Head-to-head: First meeting
Maria Timofeeva’s Budapest run is a true from-zero-to-hero story so far. The 19-year-old lost in the final qualifying round, but got into the main draw on a lucky loser spot and took full advantage of that second chance, beating Daria Saville and Diana Shnaider. She’ll need another stunning effort against Kaja Juvan though. The Slovenian is still really talented, but her career isn’t developing as planned with personal issues and injuries hampering her. She seems ready to go big now.
Prediction: Juvan in 2
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Anna Karolina Schmiedlova vs Claire Liu
Head-to-head: Liu 1-0
Claire Liu beat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 7-6 6-3 in Indian Wells this year. This time they’ll meet on a different surface and it’s unclear who that actually suits with both players owning a great record on clay. Schmiedlova made the fourth round at Roland Garros six weeks ago and was quick to regain that momentum back on the dirt this week. Liu needed this run a bit more, but has also been looking fine and seems back to her best right now. An extremely tough call.
Prediction: Schmiedlova in 3
Nadia Podoroska vs Elina Avanesyan
Head-to-head: Podoroska 1-0
Just three months ago, these two played in the quarterfinals of an ITF event in Chiasso. Nadia Podoroska won 7-6 7-5, but this result is not guaranteed to happen again. Since then, Elina Avanesyan broke the top 100 and made the fourth round of the French Open. She also seems to be understanding her tennis better and plays to her own strengths. Her baseline game isn’t powerful, but it is really multi-dimensional. This will be a classic matchup built on whether Podoroska’s aggression will be enough to overcome that variety.
Prediction: Podoroska in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
