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Bad Homburg Open reaches quarter-final stage

Damien Kayat previews selected quarter-finals from the 2021 Bad Homburg Open.

Petra Kvitova - Sydney Tennis Classic
Image Copyright - Steve Haag Sports

Damien Kayat previews selected quarter-finals from the 2021 Bad Homburg Open.

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

2021 WTA Tour
WTA 250 Series
Bad Homburg Open
Selected Quarterfinals- 24th June
TC Bad Homburg, Bad Homburg, Germany (Grass)

Petra Kvitova 2/11 vs Nadia Podoroska 36/10

Petra Kvitova has been grinding it out this week. Both of her matches have gone the distance, with the talented Ann Li really forcing the issue in their Round of 16 match. But the Czech showed why she is such a grass-court specialist in both her matches. Much like Serena Williams, she doesn’t need to be playing unbelievable tennis to win on this surface. She just needs that potent serve to work at the right times. She then follows that up with a business-like forehand. Simple. Kvitova may actually benefit from her slightly extended matches, giving her added grass-court preparation ahead of Wimbledon. One thing that I have noticed recently is Kvitova’s tendency to throw double-faults into the mix when under pressure. It’s always been there but I think it has definitely escalated in recent years. Perhaps this is a reflection of the general evolution of the power game in women’s tennis (you can’t afford to just put it there). She will do well to guard against that in this match.

Nadia Podoroska is exactly the sort of gritty counterpuncher that could cause Kvitova problems. She doesn’t overwhelm you with power from the baseline, preferring to hit consistent groundstrokes off both wings. She has done well to successfully bounce back from a first-round exit at Roland Garros. Lest we forget, she had that unbelievable run in Paris last year. She had to also rebound from a set down against Patricia Maria Tig in her last match. But 2021 has been fairly underwhelming for the Argentine. It does include a fairly remarkable victory over Serena Williams in Rome. But can Podoroska (your stereotypical dogged clay-court specialist) possibly give Petr Kvitova a competitive match on this surface? Well, recent history would suggest that she could.

Verdict: Kvitova in straight sets at 51/100

These two met earlier this season on Aussie hardcourts, with the South American emerging victorious in three gruelling sets. She thus leads the head-to-head against Kvitova 1-0. Podoroska’s game is based on stout returns and irritation value. Kvitova is the sort of player who can get easily irritated. You can expect Podoroska’s movement to give Kvitova some problems. But I don’t think Kvitova will be so careless this time. With Wimbledon fast approaching, I expect the Czech to dispose of the Argentine in straight sets at 51/100.

Angelique Kerber 62/100 | Amanda Anisimova 5/4 

Two years back, Amanda Anisimova- much like Coco Gauff- was a rising American player to watch. She won her maiden title at the Copa Colsantis in 2019 and she also reached the semi-finals of Roland Garros. But unlike Gauff, she has failed to build on a promising start to her WTA career. But there are major extenuating circumstances in her case. Just months after her semi-final run in Paris, she tragically lost her father. Her return to the game was then hindered by the pandemic. The pandemic then struck again for Anisimova, as a positive diagnosis kept her out of the Australian leg of the Tour this year. So, it’s understandable that the youngster is yet to arrive at her best tennis. But she has looked a different beast in Bad Homburg, demolishing both Kovinic and Petkovic in straight sets. Her double-handed backhand down the line could prove critical against lefty Angelique Kerber.

Three-time Major Champion Angelique Kerber has been poor over the past few seasons. She seems to have struggled to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of modern tennis. But the switch to grass has finally started to reap some rewards for the German. She has won both of her matches in less than an hour. She is actually yet to be broken in this year’s event. Against Blinkova she won 88% of her first service points without serving a single ace. That’s really strange and probably points to Blinkova’s inability to read the lefty serve. Kerber will be looking to make her first semi-final on the WTA Tour since Osaka in 2019.

Verdict: Kerber to win at 62/100

This will be the first-ever meeting between these two. Anisimova is a powerful ball striker who pushed Andreescu to three sets in Miami earlier this year. This tells me that she could cause Kerber some issues. Kerber can come undone against raw hitting ability. But ultimately I think Kerber will use her court-craft to outlast Anisimova.

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