The quarterfinal round at the WTA 1000 in Rome are ready to begin. Today, we’re predicting the outcomes of the bottom half of the draw. Will Qinwen Zheng get that first big result of her career over Veronika Kudermetova? How will Beatriz Haddad Maia fare against dark horse Anhelina Kalinina? Here are all our thoughts at LWOT.
WTA Rome Quarterfinal Predictions
Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Anhelina Kalinina
Head-to-head: Kalinina 3-0 Haddad Maia
Don’t be distracted by the head-to-head. Beatriz Haddad Maia may have lost her three matches to Anhelina Kalinina, but two of them came in 2014 and the other was a close match in different conditions last year in Miami. Given the conditions and stage of both players’ respective careers, this match should be considered in isolation.
That said, there are a few advantages Kalinina has over Haddad Maia’s previous opponents. She should be very adept at returning the lefty angles of Haddad Maia with her fantastic open-stance backhand. The Russian has also already shown she has the defense to cope with middling-to-decent levels of offensive tennis so far this tournament. She should be able to withstand the heavy strikes of the Brazilian.
Haddad Maia’s fighting qualities can never be ignored–she’ll certainly make it tough for the Ukranian. Kalinina should be up for the task, however.
Prediction: Kalinina in 3
Veronika Kudermetova vs Qinwen Zheng
Head-to-head: Zheng 1-0 Kudermetova
Qinwen Zheng’s serve is one of the biggest in the game (second-highest first serve win-rate this year) and her forehand is ludicrously heavy. Slow courts give her the time she needs to unleash off of that wing but, unfortunately for her competitors, they haven’t seemed to impact on her service numbers. The pace at which she delivers it is devastating on any court speed.
It’s clear Zheng has some of the highest potential in the game. With the lowest first-serve-in-rate this year, however, she’s struggled with how frequently she can land that serve. Slowly but surely however, those numbers are creeping up and, here in Rome, she’s had no problems dominating the majority of the rallies.
It will be an uphill battle for Veronika Kudermetova. She’s renown for having a great serve but Zheng’s is slightly better. She’s also renown for having a good forehand but–you guessed it–Zheng’s is slightly better. Zheng’s numbers this tournament point towards her coming out on top of this match-up.
Prediction: Zheng in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
