Four of the top five seeds remain in the draw as we reach the quarterfinal round of the WTA Korea Open in Seoul. Diana Shnaider and Marta Kostyuk is a fascinating all-Top 20 matchup, while the Kudermetova sisters are just a win each from meeting in the final four. But perhaps the biggest highlight of the day will be top seed Daria Kasatkina taking on Emma Raducanu. Who do you think will prevail?
WTA Seoul Quarterfinal Predictions
Polina Kudermetova vs Beatriz Haddad Maia
Head-to-head: First meeting
Polina Kudermetova has made it to the quarterfinals in Seoul for the second straight year with this run being even more surprising. She lost in the qualifying to Jia-Jing Lu, but has taken full advantage of her lucky loser opportunity. Beatriz Haddad Maia might be too much for her to handle though with the Brazilian recently picking up her game in Cleveland and at the US Open. The second-round win over Ajla Tomljanovic showed u that form hasn’t gone anywhere.
Prediction: Haddad Maia in 2
Viktoriya Tomova vs Veronika Kudermetova
Head-to-head: First meeting
Veronika Kudermetova has been struggling most of the season and with her Tokyo title defense coming up, she could use a strong run right now. Beating Liudmila Samsonova in the second round was already one of her best wins of the year. The chance to keep going is there with Viktoriya Tomova not possessing the caliber of weaponry to potentially stop the Russian if she’s hitting well. Kudermetova needs to keep her overhitting tendencies in check though.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 2
Diana Shnaider vs Marta Kostyuk
Head-to-head: First meeting
Exciting match between two young players who don’t need much more development to start pushing for a Top 10 ranking soon. Both have a very high ceiling but are yet to fully figure out their games, which sometimes leads to erratic performances. It’s very tough to point to a favorite, especially as it seems like so far in Seoul neither has faced a top-quality opponent yet. Marta Kostyuk usually holds up well against lefties, so maybe she can find herself pretty comfortable in the cross-court rallies with Diana Shnaider.
Prediction: Kostyuk in 3
Daria Kasatkina vs Emma Raducanu
Head-to-head: Kasatkina 2-0
It’s good to see Emma Raducanu finally playing a heavier schedule towards the end of the year. She’s done well in Asia before, including at this very event when she made the semifinals in 2022. But now she’s facing an opponent that often turned out tricky for her in the past. Daria Kasatkina seems to have her number with not much that the Brit can do to hurt her off the ground. Raducanu will need something special here and so far she hasn’t been finding it in this matchup.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
