After a thrilling week of tennis at the WTA Cincinnati Open, the field has been whittled down to just two players. One is the world #1 and recent Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty. The other is the relatively unheralded Jil Teichmann of Switzerland. But who will lay their hands on the trophy?
WTA Cincinnati Final Prediction
Ashleigh Barty vs Jil Teichmann
Head-to-head: first meeting
Barty fell short at the Olympics, in singles at least, where she lost in the first round to Sara Sorribes Tormo in straight sets. But, after electing not to play in Montreal, she has looked very sharp so far in Cincinnati. She opened her campaign with a 6-4 7-6 win over Great Britain’s Heather Watson and she backed that up with a superb 6-0 6-2 win over Victoria Azarenka. That set up a quarterfinal clash with French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova.
But if that looked like a stern test on paper, it did not prove to be so in reality as Barty dismissed the Czech for the loss of only six games. Barty then beat Angelique Kerber 6-2 7-5 to reach her sixth final of the season. She may not have expected to find Teichmann waiting for her on the other side of the net, but the Swiss has certainly earned her place in this final. She started her week with a 6-0 6-2 win over Sorana Cirstea and has not looked back since.
She has dropped just one set so far at the WTA Cincinnati Open and that was to the second seed Naomi Osaka. Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic and Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Pliskova she beat in straight sets. However, Barty may cause her more problems. The Australian does not typically beat opponents with raw power or grinding defence. Instead, she draws them into errors and puts them in uncomfortable positions.
The key to her game in that regard is her backhand slice, which she has been using to great effect this week. The Australian is able to send the ball skidding through the court with that shot, often drawing a weak reply as a result. Her opponents also seem to struggle to build up a rhythm, with Barty adept at giving them different looks. If Teichmann can redline her game and bring her forehand into play regularly, this is a match she can win. But Barty is a wily enough competitor that this is probably a match Teichmann won’t win.
Prediction: Barty in 3
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