The clay-court season continues this week at the Porche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Damien Kayat previews two of the Ro32 ties: Emma Raducanu v Angeliqe Kerber and Ons Jabeur v Ekaterina Alexandrova.
2024 WTA Tour – WTA 500
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
Porsche Arena
Selected Ro32 Matches – 16 April
Emma Radacanu 56/100 | Angelique Kerber 27/20
This is a real marquee clash between two notable Stuttgart wildcards. Emma Radacanu needed last week. The 2021 US Open champion has become a much-maligned figure in the British press, with many labelling her as an unmotivated glamour girl.
To be fair: there’s probably a degree of truth to some of those ugly grumblings. Let’s be real: she hasn’t reached a final since that fateful fortnight in New York. Sure, she has suffered some injury issues over the past few years. But I think she has been distracted by all the other shiny things that accompany being a Grand Slam champion.
But last week provided her the opportunity to escape the insular world of individual tennis as she helped Great Britain overcome France to progress to the finals of the Billie Jean King Cup. She actually showed a lot of grit on the French clay, coming back from a set down against both Caroline Garcia and Diane Parry.
Could that be the springboard she needed to get her career back on track?
You have to admire Angelique Kerber for returning to the game after nearly 18 months of maternity leave. The former World No.1 is now 36 years of age and really has nothing to prove. A three-time Grand Slam champion, Kerber clearly still loves the competition and she should receive absolutely thunderous home support this week.
She has suffered three first-round defeats in four events since returning this season. But she did show real signs of encouragement at Indian Wells, beating the likes of Ostapenko and Kudermetova en route to a round of 16 finish.
And that should encourage her going into this week. The Indian Wells courts are notoriously slow and are analogous to clay. Kerber enjoyed the majority of her success on faster surfaces but she has by no means been a slouch on the sticky stuff.
She is a two-time winner of this event and a two-time Roland Garros quarter-finalist. Perhaps slower conditions will allow her to grow into matches and use her excellent variety to her advantage.
Verdict: Kerber to win in three 46/10
This will be the first career meeting between these two. I think that this will actually be quite close. Kerber may come out the blocks a bit slow and Radacanu could ride some early momentum following last week’s performance.
But I think Kerber will grow into proceedings and just use her courtcraft to blunt Radacanu. You also can’t underestimate the rambunctious home support this week.
Ons Jabeur 99/100 | Ekaterina Alexandrova 8/10
Ons Jabeur has been a real trailblazer for the game, expanding the possibilities for both African and Middle-East tennis. But the three-time Grand Slam runner-up just can’t seem to get over her most formidable foe: her ailing body.
That right knee hasn’t been fully operational for some time and you can sometimes see Jabeur grimacing in pain (especially on the harder surfaces). She comes into this event on a five-match losing streak and will be desperate for something to click this week.
Jabeur’s crafty style suits all courts and she has thrived in the clay arena, winning the Madrid Open and finishing runner-up in Rome. A quarter-finalist at Roland Garros last season, Jabeur also happens to be a Charleston Open champion.
She understands the nuances of clay better than most. It’s just a matter of whether her body will allow her to operate at optimum levels this week.
This has been a roller-coaster of a season for 29-year-old Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova. She has been eliminated in the opening match in five of her eight events this year. But she has reached at least the semi-final stage in each of the other three events.
She lost to Ostapenko in the Linz final before a magnificent run to the Miami semi-finasl (it was her 2nd career WTA 1000 semi-final appearance). It’s always going to be a bit of a struggle for the Russian when she takes to the clay.
She likes to hit hard, flat groundstrokes that are ideal for hard courts. She has never reached a clay-court final and she was recently knocked out by Taylor Townsend in the early stages of Charleston. But Jabeur is physically vulnerable and Alexandrova will look to exploit that advantage.
Verdict: Alexandrova to win in straight sets 17/10
The Russian actually has an imposing 6-2 head-to-head advantage over the Tunisian. But the Tunisian came out on top when they last met at the 2022 Madrid Open. I just think this could be a bridge too far for Jabeur.
Alexandrova will look to move Jabeur side to side with her relentless groundstrokes. And I think her depth of shot could wear Jabeur down.
