Damien Kayat previews Ekaterina Alexandrova taking on Zhu Lin in the semi-final of the Tennis in the Land on the 26th of august 2023.
WTA 250 Series
Tennis in the Land
Jacobs Pavillion, Cleveland, Ohio (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Semi-final Preview – 26th August
Ekaterina Alexandrova 57/100 | Zhu Lin 27/20
28-year-old Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova is one of those frustrating players who hasn’t done her talent justice at the very top level. She has been ranked as high as 16 in the world, but she has only reached the 4TH round of a Slam once (albeit at this year’s Wimbledon Championships).
But she is a four-time winner on tour who has shown the capacity to go deep in these off-Broadway events. She has won three events over the past 15 months or so (including back-to-back Rosmalen Opens). She reached the semi-finals of last year’s Miami Open and followed that up with a quarterfinal run this year.
She employs a flat-hitting style and it’s no surprise that hardcourts are her preferred surface. She won her first two matches convincingly this week but had to fight back from a set down against Chinese player Wang Xiyu. She will be looking to make it back-to-back Chinese victims as she looks to reach her first hardcourt final since last year’s Korea Open.
Well, I never saw that coming. I thought that the industrious Zhu Lin would give Caroline Garcia a real good scrap. But for Lin to dominate the Frenchwoman in straight-sets probably says more about Garcia than anything else. Still, this is a huge result for Lin and will boost her confidence as she aims to win her 2nd title of the year.
This has been a solid campaign for a player who almost retired after years of toiling at lower levels. Lin reached the 4th round of a Grand Slam for the first time in Melbourne. She also won her maiden WTA title at the Hua Hin Championships.
She had gone a bit dormant but she has suddenly exploded into action in Cleveland. She blew 8th seed Blinkova off the court in unceremonious fashion before a similarly comfy win against Grabher. And she won’t be afraid of anyone after dismantling the power-based game of Garcia.
Verdict: Alexandrova to win in straight-sets at 5/4
This will be the first career meeting between these two. I know people may be tempted into backing Lin following that Garcia thrashing. But I really think that speaks more to where Garcia is at. Alexandrova- at her best- is an accomplished hardcourt opponent who can trouble anyone. I think she will target the Lin backhand and use her power to reach yet another final.
