The WTA Cincinnati quarterfinals are set ahead of what promises to be an entertaining day of tennis in Ohio. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for all four matches – as well as the action in the men’s singles, but who will book their spot in the semifinals?
WTA Cincinnati Quarterfinal Predictions
Varvara Gracheva vs Veronika Kudermetova
Head-to-head: Kudermetova 2-0 Gracheva
Varvara Gracheva briefly fell out of the top 100, but this run will solve a lot of her potential ranking issues for the next year or so. From the qualifying, she’s already picked up six wins in Cincinnati and has a winnable quarterfinal as well. But Veronika Kudermetova will be the favorite here as she’s simply got the higher upside of the two. The former top 10 player has been on top of her game in Montreal/Cincinnati and can get very hard to stop when she gets on a roll.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 2
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Iga Swiatek vs Anna Kalinskaya
Head-to-head: Kalinskaya 1-0 Swiatek
Anna Kalinskaya already defeated Iga Swiatek on a pretty quick court in Dubai last year and knows how to attack her early off the bounce to bring up some of the issues that the Pole can have with her timing on the forehand side. That said, the six-time Grand Slam champion looks relaxed and in rhythm right now after picking up the Wimbledon title. It’s possible that she’ll just find a way to win, like champions do. Swiatek is enjoying herself on and off the court at the moment and that makes her an even more dangerous customer.
Prediction: Swiatek in 3
Jasmine Paolini vs Coco Gauff
Head-to-head: Paolini 2-2 Gauff
Jasmine Paolini won her last two meetings against Coco Gauff, but they both came on clay courts (Stuttgart and Rome this year). The Italian won the title at the latter event but hasn’t looked like a top player since – struggling badly to find some form. Gauff was also on a rather bad run recently, but the courts in Cincinnati suit her game more than they do Paolini. It can be a tricky matchup if the Italian plays it right tactically as we’ve seen when they last squared off. But in these conditions, it’s tough not to back Gauff.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
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Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina
Head-to-head: Sabalenka 7-4 Rybakina
Elena Rybakina hasn’t dropped off much in terms of quality, but her off-court challenges are definitely impacting how she performs in pressure moments. This North American hard court swing is going pretty great for her so far with back-to-back semifinals in Washington and Montreal. This could be the right moment for her to tackle Aryna Sabalenka again. The world #1 has been the most consistent player of the season despite not picking up a Slam and this high-quality hard-hitting contest seems like it could just go both ways.
Prediction: Rybakina in 3
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