Kimberly Birrell’s sensational victory against Donna Vekic guarantees a new first-time champion on the WTA Tour at the Chennai Open. The Australian is now the most experienced player among the four remaining women in the draw. Who will reach the final?
WTA Chennai Semifinal Predictions
Janice Tjen vs Lanlana Tararudee
Head-to-head: Tjen 1-0 Tararudee
Tjen is building on her breakout moment at the US Open, where she qualified for her first Grand Slam and shocked former Top 10 player Veronika Kudermetova in the main draw. Tjen has since played in her first Tour-level final in Sao Paulo, won a WTA 125K in Jinan (her seventh title of the season overall), and will now contest her second WTA semifinal. The Indonesian savored her best for the quarterfinal, where she dropped just four games in a 6-3 6-1 win against Slovakia’s Mia Pohankova.
Lanlana Tararudee was on course for the first 6-0 6-0 win of the week, but a lose service game allowed Polina Iatcenko to get on the board, and the second set eventually finished 6-2 in Tararudee’s favor. That late wobble won’t create any panic, but Tararudee will be facing one of the most in-form players in Chennai, and any lapses in focus will be exploited. Tjen is the proactive player and her ability to step inside and finish points will neutralize the Thai’s less dynamic tennis.
Prediction: Tjen in 2
Kimberly Birrell vs Joanna Garland
Head-to-head: first meeting
Kimberly Birrell produced one of the most complete performances of her career in dismantling the third seed Donna Vekic in straight sets. After a closely contested first set, which Birrell won with just a solitary break, Vekic’s energy levels dipped significantly in the second set. The Croat failed to hold a single service game. Remarkably, Birrell exacted revenge by the same 6-4 6-0 score that she lost to Vekic at this year’s Wimbledon. This was Birrell’s 14th win on the WTA level, the most she has managed in a single season. And it gives the Australian a rare opportunity to vie for a final spot. Birrell has only progressed to one WTA final in her career–in Osaka last season.
Joanna Garland will be playing in her maiden WTA semifinal at the Chennai Open. The 24-year-old is the first player from Chinese Taipei to reach a Tour-level semifinal in singles since 2019. Garland is one of the top performers on the ITF Tour this season, winning three titles at that level. And she’s backed up that success by producing a solid run this week.
Birrell will enter this match fresh from an emphatic win over Vekic in a match where she served with far more variety than usual. She’ll need to do more of the same against Garland, who is extremely aggressive off the return and catching servers off guard. That high-quality return game could be one of the key reasons why Garland might have a shot of upsetting Birrell.
Prediction: Garland in 3
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images
