It has been a very exciting week so far at the WTA 250 in Birmingham, and the semifinals promise to continue that. While the top seeded players have all lost and #7 seed Potapova is the only seed remaining, the tennis has been very entertaining and it’s very hard to predict which of these four players will be hoisting the trophy on Sunday.
WTA Birmingham Semifinal Predictions
Ajla Tomljanovic vs Anastasia Potapova
Head-to-head: Tomljanovic 2-1 Potapova
Potapova is the highest ranked player left in the draw, but far from a clear favorite (if at all) here. By the same token, Tomljanovic is the lowest ranked player left, but her quality far exceeds what her current ranking shows. She is having an excellent week and her win over Leylah Fernandez in the quarterfinals was very impressive and showed that she is in good enough form to aim for the title here. Potapova has been very impressive herself, though, she hasn’t lost a set in Birmingham yet and impressively dismissed Krejcikova today dropping only five games. All things considered, this should be a very tight match, decided by the finest of margins.
Prediction: Potapova in 3
Elisabetta Cocciaretto vs Yulia Putintseva
Head-to-head: Putintseva 1-0 Cocciaretto
There could hardly be a more evenly matched semifinal on paper. The two players are separated by only three ranking spots and both have been playing great tennis all week. Cocciaretto got all the attention with her stunning win over the #1 seed Jelena Ostapenko, but Putintseva has been playing at a very high level herself. When the pair faced off in Hobart earlier this year, it was decided in the third set tiebreak, with Putintseva just barely coming through. A similarly tight match that could go either way and will be decided by a few key points is to be expected here as well.
Prediction: Cocciaretto in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
