When it comes to events the week after a Grand Slam, you often think of weaker fields and unexpected players going deep and that’s exactly what the WTA Prague Open has provider. In fact, five of the last eight players left here are ranked outside the top 100. If that wasn’t crazy enough to interest you, the highest two ranked players remaining are also playing one another in the quarterfinals. It really is an entertaining event, to say the least.
WTA Prague Open Quarterfinal Predictions
Viktoria Kuzmova vs Tereza Martincova
Head-to-head: Kuzmova 1-0
After a rough patch on the clay, which included five losses in a row, Martincova found a fair amount of form on the grass–which went under the radar to many–with a quarterfinal appearance in Birmingham and a third round appearance at Wimbledon before losing to eventual runner-up Karolina Pliskova. She’s back up this good form moving on the hardcourts this week with two easy routine wins. Kuzmova’s on the other hand has come into Prague with no form and although has also won her first two matches, both have been against players far from Martincova’s quality, this should be routine for the Czech despite the head-to-head.
Prediction: Martincova in 2
Storm Sanders vs Greetje Minnen
Head-to-head: 0-0
A battle of two players ranked outside the top 100, which makes it all the stranger the Belgian is seeded ninth here. In the opening round the Australian Sanders had a terrific win against Top 60 player Marie Bouzkova, and also backed it up in the second round. Minnen, on the other hand, hasn’t really impressed against two players in the bottom end of the top 200 and will need to up her game here with Sanders. In honesty, this one is impossible to call, it truly is one of those 50/50 matches and just due to the opening two rounds I am going to have to side with Sanders edging it.
Prediction: Sanders in 3
Grace Min vs Xinyu Wang
Head-to-head: 0-0
Another quarterfinal between two players ranked outside the top 100. Even though there may not be much interest in this match, Wang is still a teenager making her way up the rankings and is currently at #147 in the world. After qualifying for Wimbledon without dropping a set she got somewhat unlucky to get one of the top seeds, Sofia Kenin, in the opening round. Here, however, she’s lucked out with a draw to the semifinals without playing a top 100 player and she surely will take advantage of it.
Prediction: Wang in 2
Katerina Siniakova vs Barbora Krejcikova
Head-to-head: 0-0
Without a doubt the match of the round by a long way. The Roland Garros singles and doubles champion against her partner that she won the doubles title with. Despite the weak draw to make it this far Krejikova is impressing many, coming off the wins at Roland Garros she gave eventual champion Barty a run for her money before moving onto yet another surface here and adapting well. Funnily enough, Barty is also the player who beat Siniakova at Wimbledon. Right now the slightly older of the two Krejikova is no doubt the favour just due to recent form, lately her serve and ground game has been devastating. The winner of this surely wins the event and perhaps very comfortably too, this may very well be the real final.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
