Semifinal day at the WTA event in Cleveland will surely bring plenty of excitement, with four players who are not habitual winners at this level looking to grab an important title as well as pick up some momentum and confidence ahead of the US Open. Only one seeded player still remains in the draw, Ekaterina Alexandrova, but the other three players have played some fantastic tennis this week and have legitimate ambitions of winning this title. All four players are evenly matched enough that it is very tough to predict who will emerge victorious on Sunday.
WTA Cleveland Semfinal Predictions
Sara Sorribes Tormo vs Tatjana Maria
Head-to-head: Maria 1-0 Tormo
Their previous meeting was easily won by Maria, but it happened seven years ago so it’s hardly a reliable indicator of what might tomorrow. Both players have had excellent runs this week, but Sorribes Tormo’s has arguably been even more impressive, scoring three upset wins in a row without dropping a single set… after getting eliminated in qualifying and entered the main draw as a lucky loser. Logic would suggest a Maria win here, but Tormo has been in great form this week and it feels like it might be her week here.
Prediction: Tormo in 3
Lin Zhu vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Head-to-head: first meeting
Zhu caused arguably the biggest upset of the tournament, beating #1 seed Caroline Garcia in the quarterfinals in very straightfoward fashion after already looking impressive in previous rounds. Alexandrova is the only seeded player left in the draw, but she suffered quite a bit to get here, winning her quarterfinal by the skin of her teeth, and her level hasn’t exactly been particularly impressive. Judging by the level they’ve displayed here in Cleveland, Zhu might well cause a surprise here and making it to a second final in both her career and 2023, after taking the title earlier this year in Thailand.
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Prediction: Zhu in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
