There is a strong quarterfinal lineup at the WTA Prague Open, with five seeded players still in the draw. This includes Australian Open quarterfinalist Linda Noskova, who is the No. 1 seed at her home event. As always, we at LWOT predict all the matches in Prague and at all the other tournaments taking place. Which players do you think will reach the semifinals?
WTA Prague Quarterfinal Predictions
Magdalena Frech vs Anhelina Kalinina
Head-to-head: Kalinina 2-0 Frech
2024 has been the best season of Frech’s career so far. However, she usually plays her best tennis on hard courts. By contrast, both of Kalinina’s WTA Tour finals have been on the dirt, including at the Italian Open last year. The Ukrainian also won the pair’s only previous meeting on clay, although that was several years ago. Nonetheless, this remains a good matchup for Kalinina since she is usually most comfortable against players like Frech, who do not possess blistering power.
Prediction: Kalinina in 2
Magda Linette vs Viktoriya Tomova
Head-to-head: Linette 3-0 Tomova
Linette did not drop a set in her three previous meetings against Tomova, although all of these were on hard courts. While Tomova does have a better chance of overcoming the Pole on clay, she faces the complication of Linette’s improved results on the surface this year. An example was reaching her first WTA Tour final on clay in Rouen, finishing as runner-up to the 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens. Linette’s improvement on the dirt and her previous dominance against Tomova make her the favourite to progress.
Prediction: Linette in 3
Oksana Selekhmeteva vs Laura Samson
Head-to-head: First meeting
16-year-old local wild card Sasmon managed a huge upset in the last round against the No.2 seed Katerina Siniakova. That made her the first player born in 2008 to reach a WTA Tour quarterfinal. It will be interesting to observe whether she can replicate that level again. Selekhmeteva easily defeated Kathinka Von Deichmann after she upset the seeded Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the previous round. This contest will probably be closer, but Samson’s level may just drop slightly after the biggest win of her life.
Prediction: Selekhmeteva in 3
Linda Noskova vs Ella Seidel
Head-to-head: First meeting
This promises to be a tough match for Noskova. This is Seidel’s second clay-court quarterfinal in a row, having also made that stage last week in Budapest. The German is a tricky customer and will put a lot of balls back into play. Noskova’s formidable hitting has to be near its best to ensure victory. Overall, the Czech’s firepower will probably be too much for Seidel, but it may be closer than many expect.
Prediction: Noskova in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports
