On Thursday, the last Round of 16 play will determine who’s moving on to the quarterfinals at the BRD Bucharest Open. Will Sevastova face another upset threat? Will Cristian keep up the momentum which allowed her to bounce Romanian favorite Sorana Cirstea?
Here we’ll look at the last four Round of 16 matches, and predictions for who’ll move on.
BRD Bucharest Open Day 4 Predictions
Martina DiGiuseppe vs Veronika Kudermetova
Head to head: De Giuseppe 0-1 Kudermetova
This appears to be a very lopsided match-up, at least on paper. The World #56 ranked Veronika Kudermetova seems leagues ahead of the World #211 ranked De Giuseppe. The #3 seed has been playing well, even though there’s been some mixed results on clay. Yet, three clay tournaments with a quarterfinal or better showing is a confidence booster for the Russian.
Qualifier Martina Di Giuseppe had a tough opener against American Vavara Lepchenko. The decider went to a tiebreak where Di Giuseppe eventually claimed a 7-3 score to take the set and her spot in the second round. The Italian has a tough go against an experienced an in form Kudermetova. You can expect some great points, but you can expect Kudermetova to move on to the quarterfinals.
Prediction: Kudermetova in two
Aliona Bolsova vs Barbora Krejcikova
Head to head: No history
Aliona Bolsova will take on Barbora Krejcikova in the Round of 16. The #7 seed is already into the semifinals in the doubles draw. The Spaniard has spent a lot of time on the Romanian courts, and is in good form. Another player struggling with winning points off the second serve, Bolsova will need to put in more first serves to minimize the Krejcikova break opportunities. The Czech is making the most of her break chances, and will look to punish any questionable Bolsova serve. Regardless, Bolsova will look to end points on her terms and should find herself into the quarterfinals after fending off the Krejcikova threat.
Prediction: Bolsova in two
Jaqueline Cristian vs Elena Rybakina
Head to head: No history
Elena Rybakina has certainly bettered last year’s Bucharest Open result. The Kazakhstani will battle for a spot in the quarterfinals – an immense improvement after last year’s loss in the qualifying rounds. Rybakina is 9-3 on clay and has looked to be in fine form in Romania.
Jaqueline Cristian claimed her second round spot after bouncing Sorana Cirstea. In that match, the Romanian’s backhand wing send winners up the line, far out of Cirstea’s reach. An exceptional performance by the 21-year-old. It will be hard to knock out Cristian who’s not only playing well but is buoyed by the Romanian crowd.
Prediction: Cristian in two
Anastasija Sevastova vs Patricia Maria Tig
Head to head: Sevastova 1-0 Tig
Sevastova survived an opening round scare, a near repeat of her 2017 clash with Ana Bogdan. Two years ago, Bogdan stunned the top seed in a quarterfinal skirmish, giving the Romanian a semifinal spot. Not this time! The Latvian dodged an upset. It a see-saw battle lasting more than three hours, Sevastova converted on her third match point to secure her second round contest. The top seed will face another Romanian, qualifier Patricia Maria Tig in the second round. Certainly, Tig won’t prove the challenge Bogdan did. Sevastova should be able to clear this hurdle and seal a quarterfinal spot.
Prediction: Sevastova in two
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