A blockbuster quarterfinal day in Berlin awaits. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will battle the 2022 Wimbledon Champion Elena Rybakina. A repeat of the 2023 Wimbledon final between Ons Jabeur and Marketa Vondrousova is also on the slate. As always, we here at LWOT predict all the action from around the grounds, including the WTA quarterfinals in Nottingham.
WTA Berlin Quarterfinal Predictions
Amanda Anisimova vs Liudmila Samsonova
Head-to-head: Anisimova 2-1 Samsonova
This is a fascinating matchup. Anisimova reached her first grass-court final last week at the Queen’s Club, but Samsonova beat four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and Jessica Pegula in her opening matches in Berlin. Both women have very aggressive styles and will look to dominate the rallies. Anisimova is narrowly favored to triumph since Samsonova does not possess the type of variety that sometimes throws Anisimova off her game(as Tatjana Maria showed in the final at the Queen’s Club). This could go either way, though.
Prediction: Anisimova in 3
Ons Jabeur vs Marketa Vondrousova
Head-to-head: Jabeur 4-4 Vondrousova
Vondrousova’s level since coming back at the French Open from a few months out with an injury has been impressive. In the opening two rounds in Berlin, she disarmed the 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys and Diana Shnaider. Jabeur played one of her best matches since the 2023 Wimbledon Championships against Jasmine Paolini in the last round. But I am backing Vondrousova to overcome the Tunisian on grass again. She is well-equipped to handle Jabeur’s power and variety on grass and usually prefers to be the counter-puncher in the rallies.
Prediction: Vondrousova in 3
Paula Badosa vs Xinyu Wang
Head-to-head: Badosa 1-0 Wang
Although Coco Gauff was well below her best, Wang played excellently to beat the recent French Open champion. The Chinese star also defeated Jessica Pegula at last year’s Wimbledon, showing how dangerous she is on grass. Although Wang will undoubtedly have her moments, I like Badosa’s chances in this matchup. The Spaniard’s superior serve to Gauff should prevent Wang from being able to apply the same pressure, changing the dynamics of the contest. Badosa will also almost certainly be more proactive in the rallies than Gauff was.
Prediction: Badosa in 2
Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina
Head-to-head: Sabalenka 6-4 Rybakina
Sabalenka won the only grass-court meeting between these two, but that was in 2021. Rybakina is a much different player now. The Kazakhstani did well to recover from an early break down in both sets against Katerina Siniakova, who is very capable on grass. Predicting the winner between Sabalenka and Rybakina is always challenging. Sabalenka struggled quite a lot in the second set of her opening match against Rebeka Masarova. Rybakna started her grass-court swing a week earlier than the World No. 1, which might make her slightly sharper in the crucial moments.
Prediction: Rybakina in 3
Main Photo Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
