PREVIEW: 2021 WTA Tour – Selected Indian Wells Masters QF preview

2021 WTA Tour
WTA 1000
Indian Wells Masters
Indian Wells Gardens, Indian Wells, California 
Selected Quarterfinals- 15th October

Anett Kontaveit 88/100 | Ons Jabeur 9/10

Anett Kontaveit has come on in leaps and bounds since uniting with new coach Dmitry Tursonov (Tursonov was the man who helped ignite the career of Aryna Sabalenka). He took over when the Estonian was at her lowest ebb. Their first collaboration resulted in an opening round defeat at the Cincinnati Open. That was actually her 5th consecutive defeat at the time. But since that moment she has been one of the best players on the circuit. She won both the Cleveland Championships and Ostrava Open. Wedged in between that she had a slightly deflating 3rd round run at the US Open. She cited exhaustion in withdrawing from the Chicago Fall Tennis Classic last time out. But she has looked back to her best at Indian Wells. She seems to have unlocked a newfound aggression in her game. She is yet to drop a set this week, highlighted by a devastating victory over former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu. Her record dating back to Cincinnati is an imperious 16-1.

Amazingly enough, Anett Kontaveit’s quarterfinal opponent is the very player who knocked the Estonian out of Cincinnati: Ons Jabeur. In fact, Jabeur is only one of three players on tour- the others being Pegula and Swiatek- to beat Kontaveit since the start of August. And lest we forget, Tunisian Jabeur is in the midst of her own spectacular season. She won her maiden title in Birmingham before reaching her 2nd Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon. She is also set to become the first Arab tennis player to reach the world’s top 10 after a brilliant two weeks. She lost to Garbine Muguruza in the final of the Chicago Fall Tennis Classic. And this week she has defied a harsh draw to reach yet another quarterfinal. She battled past Sevatsova before commanding performances against Collins and Kalinskaya. She was phenomenal against Kalinskaya, hitting over double as many winners as unforced errors- 32-15. This is lining up to be a potential classic.

Verdict: Jabeur to win in three at 36/10

Jabeur leads the head-to-head with Kontaveit 2-1. That obviously included that tight three-set victory in Cincinnati earlier this year. This is really a clash between two of the hottest players in tennis right now. I think that Jabeur still has the power to overwhelm Kontaveit. That performance against Kalinskaya was awe-inspiring. Furthermore, there’s the added incentive of nailing down that top 10 status. But the energetic Kontaveit will give her a brilliant match. As always back Jabeur to win the match outright at 9/10 for a bit more security. 

Paula Badosa Gibert 68/100 | Angelique Kerber 23/20

The emergence of Paula Badosa Gibert this season has been kept somewhat under the radar. The likes of Radacanu and Fernandez have stolen much of the limelight reserved for the tennis breakout acts. But Gibert has enjoyed an excellent year, rising about 40 places to settle inside the top 30. This was really built on a mesmerizing clay-court run. She reached back-to-back semi-finals in Charleston and Madrid before winning her maiden WTA title in Serbia. She then went on to reach the quarterfinal of Roland Garros. It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Gibert. Her form has tailed off in the wake of a 4th round Wimbledon run. And she had to be taken off in a wheelchair after suffering from heat exhaustion at the Tokyo Olympics. But she has looked excellent this week, dispatching of Coco Gauff and Barbora Krejcikova with minimum effort.

Veteran Angelique Kerber hasn’t had it quite so easy this week. In fact, she struggled past Siniakova and Kasatkina in her opening two matches. But she looked back to her formidable best against Tomljanovic, dropping just five games in a brilliant display. The slow conditions of these modern Indian Wells courts suit Kerber (she did lose in the final here in 2019). She is able to absorb pressure and use her phenomenal defensive skills to frustrate the power hitters. Kerber has enjoyed a career renaissance since winning on home soil at the Bad Homburg Open. She reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon before another impressive semi-final showing in Cincinnati.

Verdict: Badosa to win at 68/100

This will surprisingly be the first ever meeting between these two. Kerber is going to give Badosa a real test of her credentials. There are many similarities between Kerber and Badosa’s last opponent: Krejikova. They are both workhorses who base their games on solid defensive skills. But I think that Badosa may have the beating of Kerber this week. Badosa may not be able to hit through Kerber at will, but I still think her added power should help her towards victory