There should be plenty of entertaining action on quarterfinals day at the WTA Bad Homburg Open, with four intriguing matches on the slate and several star names set to take to the court. As ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match. But who will book their place in the semifinals?
WTA Bad Homburg Open Quarterfinal Predictions
Petra Kvitova vs Nadia Podoroska
Head-to-head: Podoroska 1-0 Kvitova
Petra Kvitova was not at her very best in the second round, but the Czech, who has twice won the title at Wimbledon, will surely be pleased with the manner in which she closed out Ann Li in the third set after a spirited fight from the American. However, she will also know that her quarterfinal opponent Nadia Podoroska has the quality to punish any lapses she might make. The Argentine did just that to win 5-7 6-1 7-6 in their only previous meeting which came earlier this year at the WTA Yarra Valley Classic.
She does remain more at home on the clay than the grass, but she has played some fine tennis so far in Bad Homburg. Podoroska began her tournament with a straight-sets demolition of Mara Guth, before hanging tough to get the better of Patricia Maria Tig in three sets. But it is hard to see her getting the better of Kvitova again. The Czech’s power, particularly on the forehand side, makes her very hard to defend against on a hard court and Podoroska does not have the power to go toe-to-toe.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
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Angelique Kerber vs Amanda Anisimova
Head-to-head: first meeting
2018 Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber has had a largely indifferent season, but the German has impressed so far at the WTA Bad Homburg Open. She started her week with a dominant 6-1 6-1 win over Elena Yashina and she backed that up by dismissing Anna Blinkova in similarly comprehensive fashion. However, the German’s quarterfinal opponent Amanda Anisimova is surely a cut above the two players she has beaten to reach the last eight.
Anismova does not have a great deal of experienced of grass-court tennis, although she is not a novice, but she has played with real skill to account for Danka Kovinic and Andrea Petkovic, both in straight sets. That being said, with Kerber playing such excellent tennis and possessing a wealth of experience, the German might just have the edge here. Expect her to enjoy enough success in disrupting Anisimova’s rhythm from the back of the court to reach the last four.
Prediction: Kerber in 3
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Laura Siegemund vs Katerina Siniakova
Head-to-head: Siegemund 1-0 Siniakova
This has the makings of an entertaining match. Both Laura Siegemund and Katerina Siniakova are experienced campaigners and both have looked at home on the grass courts at the WTA Bad Homburg Open. Siegemund did drop the first set against the unheralded Riya Bhatia, but she recovered to dig out a 2-6 7-6 6-1 win before thrashing her compatriot Tamara Korpatsch for the loss of only four games to reach her first quarterfinal since last year’s French Open.
Siniakova, meanwhile, arrived in solid form after runs to the semifinals in Parma and the third round at Roland Garros, where she also won the title in the women’s doubles. In the first round, she accounted for Varvara Gracheva in straight sets, before beating third seed Jessica Pegula in three sets in the round of 16. If she can maintain the level she displayed in that match, she should have the beating of the German, although she may well have to go the distance to get the win.
Prediction: Siniakova in 3
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Sara Sorribes Tormo vs Victoria Azarenka
Head-to-head: first meeting
Sara Sorribes Tormo did not find her best tennis during the clay-court swing, but she has looked more impressive so far on the grass. The Spaniard, who is seeded seventh this week, opened her campaign with a battling 6-4 3-6 6-2 win over 2020 French Open quarterfinalist Martina Trevisan before securing a more straightforward 6-4 6-4 win over Misaki Doi in the second round. That has earned her a shot at former-world #1 Victoria Azarenka.
The Belarusian came to the brink of defeat against Alize Cornet in the second round, but saved two match points late in the third set which she eventually won in a tiebreak. But having survived such a close contest, Azarenka might just be able to swing with a little more freedom in this quarterfinal. And when Azarenka is playing expansive baseline tennis, she is a very hard player to stop, particularly on faster courts.
Prediction: Azarenka in 3
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