It’s an all-Polish final at the WTA Prague Open. The experienced Magda Linette will face first-time Tour-level finalist Magdalena Frech. Linette has a 1-5 record in her last six finals. Can she turn around that record and lift her third career title?
WTA Prague Final Prediction
Magda Linette vs Magdalena Frech
Head-to-head: Frech 1-0 Linette
Magda Linette has been breathtakingly efficient this week. She’s used all her experience and veteran know-how to defeat three lower-ranked players until the semifinal stage. The 32-year-old was not expected to beat top seed and home crowd favorite Linda Noskova. But with the young Czech struggling to find her radar in the early phase of the match, Linette was the pacesetter. Ultimately, the match came down to very fine margins, and the Pole’s baseline discipline shone in the deciding final set tie-break to reach her second final of the season.
Standing on the opposite side of the net on Friday will be countrywoman Magdalena Frech. The 26-year-old is a six-time champion at the ITF level but has never appeared in the final of a WTA tournament. It will be her first experience, and there will be nerves before she walks onto the court. Frech has taken the long road to the final in Prague. Each of her four matches this week went the distance, although she benefitted from two retirement wins, including her semifinal comeback against 16-year-old Czech sensation Laura Samson.
Linette has been hitting the ball with a little more fluency in Prague. The margin of the third set tie-break against Noskova suggests she is the player with all the momentum heading into the final. But there is a seed of doubt that she hasn’t been able to shake off in the championship matches. Since winning Hua Hin in 2020, Linette has lost her last five finals (four at the WTA level). In fact, she lost her most recent final of 2024 in Rouen. So, Frech will be buoyed by the fact that Linette, despite her abundance of experience, is still prone to mental hiccups.
Prediction: Frech in 3
Main Photo
