The hot and steamy conditions in the United States capital turned to rain late Thursday evening, but not before three of the four WTA Citi Open quarterfinals were set. Only two seeded players have made their way to the quarterfinals in what has turned into a very open draw. One of those players is #2 seed Emma Raducanu. Raducanu, who is looking for her first semifinal of the season, will take on Ludmilla Samsonova. We have the prediction for that match as well as all other happenings around the grounds of the Citi Open.
WTA Washington Quarterfinal Predictions
Daria Saville vs Rebecca Marino
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Daria Saville will take on qualifier Rebecca Marino in a match where both players are looking for their first tour-level semifinal appearance of the season. Saville, who had strong runs on the hard courts of Guadalajara, Indian Wells, and Miami, will have her hands full with the veteran Canadian. Marino holds a 25-6 hard court record this season, though most of those wins came at WTA 125 events. Coming out of the qualifying draw, Marino has already played four, three-set matches this week. With the heat in Washington DC reaching incredible levels, I would not be surprised if the 31-year-old showed signs of fatigue in this match.
Prediction: Saville in 3
Kaia Kanepi vs Anna Kalinskaya
Head-to-Head: first meeting
#6 seed Kaia Kanepi squares off with world #67 Anna Kalinskaya in the quarters at the Citi Open. Kanepi had a two-hour and 38-minute victory over Lin Zhu in round two. Kalinskaya, on the other hand, walked over Simona Halep early in the second set and should be feeling fresh for this match. Kanepi, 11-4, and Kalinskaya, 14-5, have both been very solid on the hard court this season. Not much separates these two in their current form, but I slightly favor the young legs of Kalinskaya to hold on longer than the 37-year-old.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 3
Victoria Azarenka vs Xiyu Wang
Head-to-Head:
After defeating Tereza Martincova earlier this afternoon, #4 seed Victoria Azarenka has a five-hour turnaround before her quarterfinal bout with Xiyu Wang. Wang will certainly be the more well-rested player, and with the brutally hot conditions in America’s capital, that could play a big factor. With that said, the former World #1 is not someone to take lightly. Azarenka seems to have found her stride in her first tournament since Roland Garros. She is hitting the ball with controlled aggressiveness from both wings. I believe she will dispatch the current World #95 in a quick two sets.
Prediction: Azarenka in 2
Emma Raducanu vs Ludmilla Samsonova
Head-to-Head: first meeting
After an incredibly hard-fought 7-6 7-6 two-hour and 46-minute round two victory, Emma Raducanu has to turn back around and take the court against Ludmilla Samsonova on Friday. Raducanu, who has struggled to find consistency this season, is looking to have a strong month of August before her US Open title defense. The 23-year-old Samsonova is amidst the first losing season of her career but is certainly no walkover. With that said, I still believe the #2 seed will find a way to get this done in straight sets. However, if Samsonova can force a decider, look for fatigue from the Brit to play a major factor in a potential third set.
Prediction: Raducanu in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
