It promises to be an exciting final at the WTA 250 event in Nottingham, as home favorite Katie Boulter takes on 2021 Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova. Both players will play their second match of the day after a rain-affected week. As always, LWOT has the prediction and preview for the final.
WTA Nottingham Final Prediction
Katie Boulter vs Karolina Pliskova
Head-to-head: 2-2
Pliskova will look to claim her second title of the 2024 season, and second title since the start of 2020. The Czech straightforwardly won her first two matches, before claiming an exciting win over Ons Jabeur 7-6 (10) 6-7 (3) 7-5 in the quarterfinals. The win marked her first top-10 win of the season. In the semifinals, she came from a set down to defeat Diane Parry 6-7 (3) 6-1 6-4. Known for her accurate and powerful serve, Pliskova hit a high of 13 aces in her second-round win over Heather Watson.
For Katie Boulter, she’ll look to defend her title after multiple taxing matches this week. She came from a set down and shook off rust to defeat Harriet Dart in the first round, before coming through two straight-set matches. With the match finishing merely minutes ago, she finished up a thrilling 6-7(13) 6-3 6-4 win over Emma Raducanu in the semifinals. The match featured countless breaks of serve and thrilling rallies in one of the longest tiebreaks of the season–Boulter even hit 54 winners in the three-hour 13-minute match.
Both players rely on powerful groundstrokes, but Pliskova has the edge from the serving side of play, while Boulter can run down more balls and redirect her groundstrokes. The two hadn’t met since 2022 when they played out three matches ending in a deciding set. The most important of their matches came at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, when Boulter won 3-6 7-6 (5) 6-4 in front of a packed Centre Court crowd.
The home crowd will play a big factor in this match. Both players will likely be tired given this will be their second match of the day, and stamina will be crucial. A home crowd advantage may just give Boulter the extra fire she needs to win, and she’s won two out of two meetings against Pliskova at home. While Pliskova will have more time to rest going into this final, Boulter may just have the edge with her experience at this tournament. If Pliskova can grab the lead early, she’ll be the heavy favorite to win against a fatigued Boulter. Yet, Boulter may use the home crowd to get the lead early and win this match in a close battle.
Prediction: Boulter in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
