WTA Linz Open 2020: Veronika Kudermetova vs Elise Mertens Preview, Head-to-Head and Prediction
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Fifth seed Veronika Kudermetova will play against second seed Elise Mertens in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Linz Open. Both will be vying for a place in the semifinals. They have met twice before professionally.
Match Details:
- Date: 13th November 2020
- Tournament: WTA Linz Open 2020
- Match: Veronika Kudermetova vs Elise Mertens
- Round: Quarterfinals
- Venue: Linz, Austria
- Category: WTA International
- Surface: Indoor Hard-Court
- Prize Money: Approx. $202,250
Veronika Kudermetova vs Elise Mertens: Match Preview
Russian Veronika Kudermetova is slowly transitioning to being a WTA Tour mainstay. She failed to impress in most of the tournaments after the break but performed well in a few of them. Her record before the indoor swing started was dismal, losing 5 of the 8 matches before it.
The world no. 46 had to face early exits in tournaments like the US Open, the Rome Masters, and Roland Garros. She upset world no. 3 Karolina Pliskova on the way to the third round at the Western & Southern Open. However, she shot to prominence at the Ostrava Open. A qualifier, she defeated Pliskova again on the way to a miraculous quarterfinals appearance.
Bagging the fifth seed in the Linz Open, she swiftly dealt with Barbara Haas in the first round but faced some hurdles in the second round. She was taken to three sets by Arantxa Rus, but she took control of the game in the decider to clinch the victory.
She will be playing against Elise Mertens. The Belgian is coming into this match with one of the best post-pandemic match records amongst women players. She is enjoying a particularly good season on-court, making good runs into many tournaments.
Her first tournament after the break, Palermo, was a disappointment, as she was shocked in the first round by Aliaksandra Sasnovich. However, she picked up her form immediately after then, at the Prague Open. Having a relatively easy draw, she reached the finals of the event but lost to top seed Simona Halep. She then went on to reach the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open, and the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows. The world no. 21 also had a good clay season, reaching the quarters at Rome and third round in Paris.
Mertens’ most recent tournament was the Ostrava Open where she reached the quarters but lost to Victoria Azarenka. The second seed at Linz, her matches were not as straightforward as Kudermetova’s, with both running to three sets. After rallying from a set down to beat Anhelina Kalinina, she had to stave off a Vera Zvonareva comeback to win another three-setter.
Veronika Kudermetova vs Elise Mertens: Head-to-Head
The two players have met twice before. Their first meeting was at ITF Moscow in 2016, a Round of 16 match that Mertens took in three sets. Their second and most recent meeting was this year in the Cincinnati Masters. Mertens comfortably won that encounter in straight sets.
They have also faced off against each other many more times in the doubles format.
Thus, the head-to-head stands at 2-0 in favor of Elise Mertens. This will be their third meeting.
Veronika Kudermetova vs Elise Mertens: Match Prediction
Both players are top-class and both have good chances of progressing. However, Elise Mertens has been far more consistent with her performances and has registered deep runs in many tournaments since the restart of tennis.
Both Mertens and Kudermetova happen to be strong from the baseline, so they will be toe-to-toe on the court. Ultimately, Mertens’ better experience on the indoor hard courts will prove to be an advantage for her. Another three-setter could be waiting for the Belgian who faces a tenacious opponent who is gradually rising in quality.
Match Prediction: Elise Mertens to win in 3 sets against Veronika Kudermetova.
Also Read: WTA Linz Open 2020: Nadia Podoroska vs Ekaterina Alexandrova Preview, Head-to-Head and Prediction
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Yash Vinod
(82 Articles Published)