Damien Kayat previews Iga Swiatek vs Petra Martic and Jessica Pegula vs Veronika Kudermetova in the Selected quarterfinal matches of the Madrid Open on 3 June 2023.
2023 WTA Tour
WTA 1000
Madrid Open
La Caja Magica (Outdoor Clay)
Selected Quartefinals
Matches- 3 June
Iga Swiatek 1/20 | Petra Martic 8/1
This is just the time of year where Polish superstar Iga Swiatek looks close to unbeatable. Remember, she won all three of the traditional clay-court swing events in which she competed last season (Stuttgart Open, Italian Open and French Open). Her only clay-court defeat of the year came against an absolutely flying Caroline Garcia at the Poland Open.
She is approaching Nadal levels of dominance on this surface and she comes into this quarterfinal after winning her 7th straight clay-court match (dropping just two sets in the process).
It’s been a remarkably solid year for Swiatek. She has just been the victim of her own success after her utter dominance in 2022. She followed a disappointing 4th round run at the Aussie Open by securing her first title of the year in Qatar.
She lost in the final of Dubai prior to a semi-final defeat at Indian Wells. She withdrew from the Miami Open due to rib issues but bounced back with another imperious display in Stuttgart.
How do you stop this ball of irrepressible clay-court energy?
The person tasked with trying to end that run next is Czech Petra Martic. The former World No.14 is an interesting proposition. She falls firmly into the bracket of players who perhaps haven’t fulfilled their potential. But the all-court player has managed to find a decent amount of success on these surfaces.
She reached the quarterfinals of the 2019 French Open. She then reached her maiden WTA 1000 semi-final at the 2021 Italian Open. She won the Lausanne Ladies Open last year and is fresh off a stunning upset win against bang in-form Barbora Krejcikova. Martic reached the final in Linz earlier this year and just seems to have this capacity to spring a crazy run out of seemingly nowhere.
Martic will need her solid serve to operate at optimum level for this encounter. She will also need to counterpunch effectively and perhaps use her doubles experience and come to the net to disrupt the Pole.
The Verdict: Swiatek to win in three
Swiatek leads the head-to-head 1-0, absolutely thrashing the Czech in their 2021 Indian Wells clash. Swiatek will probably feel slightly miffed that she gave Alexandrova a sniff last time out.
But the Pole extinguished that flame of hope just as quickly as it was lit. Still, there is little or no value in backing any other result than a Swiatek three-set win.
Perhaps she will overthink her tardiness in that 2nd set against Alexandrova and become her worst enemy. But I just can’t see her losing to Martic on this surface.
Jessica Pegula 4/10 | Veronika Kudermetova 19/10
Recent WTA 1000 specialist Jessica Pegula saw off a spirited display from Martina Trevisan to book her spot in this year’s quarterfinal. The defending finalist beat 2022 Roland Garros semi-finalist Trevisan in three engrossing sets. She looked in control of the match before recent serving glitches disrupted the American. She managed to wrestle back the initiative and will be looking to continue her brilliant WTA 1000 record.
Since 2020, Pegula has reached the quarterfinal or better in 12 WTA 1000 events. She reached the final here last year before capturing her maiden WTA 1000 event in Guadalajara. The tremendous ball-striker seems to have eliminated some of the mental demons that would sneak into her game. She will be hoping some of this virtuosic WTA 1000 form eventually filters into her Grand Slam tennis.
Next up for the American will be the unpredictable Russian Veronika Kudermetova. The big-serving Russian entered the WTA top 10 last year courtesy of three finalss. Her ability to penetrate through the court has actually seen her thrive on clay. She won her maiden WTA title at the 2021 Charleston Open and he also reached a final in Istanbul last year.
She crucially reached her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at last year’s French Open. But outside of a semi-final run in Qatar, her 2023 has been disturbingly anonymous. In fact, she came into this event with four consecutive defeats under her belt.
But she has managed to rediscover a bit of joy in Madrid (though she certainly hasn’t done it the easy way). Her first two matches were three-set thrillers and she had to save two match-points against compatriot Daria Kasatkina last time out. The victory over Kasatkina was a nice bit of revenge for her quarterfinal exit at last year’s French Open.
The Verdict: Kudermetova to win
This will be the first career meeting between these two. I really have an upset feeling about this. Kudermetova is just the type of player who can spring surprise results.
And the American has occasionally battled with holding her serve throughout the tournament. The Russian just needs to back herself and be aggressive on return.
