Thank goodness for the weekend. I just wish it could last for 20 days instead of 2 days. Unfortunately, i’m not really feeling in the mood tonight to write detailed previews, but since i’ve been following Kuala Lumpur for the whole week it would seem a shame to completely forget about it. I’m not a massive follower of the Davis Cup (as I find it difficult enough to keep up with the main tour) but I did see snippets of the second rubber between Great Britain and the USA. James Ward came from two sets down and finally converted on his sixth match point to put away John Isner, 15-13 in the decider. It was a superb performance from Ward who not only gave Great Britain a 2-0 lead but also took a lot out of Isner.
1. Caroline Wozniacki v Su-Wei Hsieh (Kuala Lumpur, SF)
Caroline Wozniacki maintained her straightforward passage through the Kuala Lumpur draw as she defeated Carina Witthoeft in the quarter-finals, 6-3 6-1. Caro will play Su-Wei Hsieh in the semis, who was two points away from a GOLDEN SET! Hsieh lost just three points in the deciding set of her match against Elizaveta Kulichkova. This has been Hsieh’s best performance in singles since September 2012 when she reached the final of Guangzhou. Wozniacki leads the head-to-head 3-0 and I don’t think she will be troubled in this match-up.
Prediction: Wozniacki d. Hsieh in 2 sets
2. Alexandra Dulgheru v Jarmila Gajdosova (Kuala Lumpur, SF)
Alexandra Dulgheru and Jarmila Gajdosova played just last week in Doha qualifying; Dulgheru won, 4-6 6-3 6-3 and went onto qualify for the main draw where she beat Alize Cornet. Dulgheru, a two-time WTA winner in the former Premier event in Warsaw, has had a good couple of weeks on the WTA tour. Both Dulgheru and Gajdosova are former top 30 players who are rising back up the rankings. Gajdosova has struggled to close out sets and matches this week, but she should have built some confidence from winning through in the end. It’s a tough one, but i’ll stay true with my original predictions which had Gajdosova in the final.
Prediction: Gajdosova d. Dulgheru in 3 sets
WTA Monterrey semi-final predictions
Ana Ivanovic d. Caroline Garcia in 2 sets
Sara Errani d. Timea Bacsinszky in 3 sets
Jarmila showed her inconsistency and metal instability after the rain disruption in her QF match against Nara. Dulgheru is more consistent. She can absorb Jarmila serves and ground strokes to turn defense into offense. It is all depend whether Jarmila can maintain her first serves and control her forehand. If they play three sets, Dulgheru will win. I think Dulgheru has better chance to play in the final.
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Gajdosova in 2 sets
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Unless she can serves many aces to save herself from break points like she played with Nara. She barely defeated Nara in the QF. She won’t be able to match Alex’s ground strokes.
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So pleased to see Garcia in her second Semi Final of 2015! Should boost her up the rankings a bit. She could be one to watch on clay this season if she builds on this confidence.
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