Luxembourg Predictions – 15 / 29
WTA Luxembourg Final Prediction for Saturday
Day 6 – 0/1
A few thoughts for this final in Friday’s Set Points HERE
Kvitova d. Niculescu in 2 sets
WTA Luxembourg SF Predictions for Friday
Day 5 – 2/2
Thoughts about the matches in my Set Points round-up article HERE
Kvitova d. Davis in 3 sets
Niculescu d. Bertens in 3 sets
WTA Luxembourg SF Polls for Friday
WTA Luxembourg QF Predictions for Thursday
Day 4 – 1/3
Allertova d. Bertens in 3 sets – A very lucky escape for Allertova on Wednesday, saving match points to beat Smitkova. Saving match points often makes a player stronger. Bertens looked excellent against Schmiedlova but she was never put under pressure and against a player like Allertova, it’s unlikely she will be feeling calm.
Kvitova d. Larsson in 2 sets – Kvitova has recovered from slow starts in her first two matches in Luxembourg. She had a ding-dong battle with Larsson in Indian Wells where she just about survived with Larsson throwing in a spate of errors at the end. Going for a more comfortable Kvitova win this time round.
Wozniacki d. Niculescu in 2 sets – This is a dreamy match-up for Wozniacki although she did miss press as she wasn’t feeling well. A possible withdrawal but if she turns up, it would be a surprise to see Niculescu win even a set, having never really come close in seven previous encounters.
Petkovic d. Davis in 3 sets – I was most surprised by Petkovic’s result on Wednesday but really happy for her! Davis keeps the wins on coming so this was actually the most difficult of the four to make a pick.
WTA Luxembourg R2 Predictions for Wednesday
Day 3 – 5/7
Niculescu d. Schiavone in 3 sets – Preview HERE
Bertens d. Schmiedlova in 2 sets – Two players that have been on losing streaks this year – Bertens lost seven straight before beating Beck in the first round of Luxembourg, while Schmiedlova had 14 straight losses during the first half of the year. Schmiedlova’s first round win over Wickmayer was her first three set win in seven. I have more faith in Bertens as Schmiedlova has been incredibly fragile in 2016.
Garcia d. Petkovic in 3 sets – Petkovic’s pluckiness earnt her a win over Garcia at the US Open last year but Garcia has won their last two matches including their most recent one in Miami in a third set tiebreak. I was impressed how Petkovic came back against Minella but Garcia, who has played a lot of tennis of late, will be another step up. I think Garcia takes this.
Kvitova d. Lepchenko in 2 sets – Kvitova leads the head-to-head, 6-0… lucky seven?
Pliskova d. Davis in 3 sets – Both have been in good form but Pliskova’s serve could be the gamechanger.
Larsson d. Barthel in 2 sets – Rooting for Barthel but Larsson’s a really solid competitor.
Allertova d. Smitkova in 2 sets – An all Czech battle… Allertova looked really determined in her first round win over Eugenie Bouchard. She’s my finalist this week so i’m sticking with Allertova. Smitkova’s a bit of an unknown quantity as she won her first WTA main draw match of 2016 in the first round against Cirstea.
WTA Luxembourg R1 Predictions for Tuesday
Day 2 – 5/10
Davis d. Doi in 3 sets – Last year’s champion, Doi opens up Tuesday’s proceedings in Luxembourg against Lauren Davis in a battle between two of the shortest players on the tour. Davis has had some great results on tour since July with final showings in Washington and Quebec City. I think Doi will feel the pressure of points to defend as the defending champion so i’ll take a risk and go for Davis.
Beck d. Bertens in 2 sets – Bertens is on a seven match losing streak but did win the doubles title in Linz with partner, Johanna Larsson. Berten’s won all four previous matches against Beck but based on form and location, i’d take Beck who is a former champ (and finalist too) in Luxembourg.
Kvitova d. Hsieh in 2 sets – Will be nice to see Petra indoors on what seems to be a pretty quick court. This will be Hsieh’s first singles match since the US Open, who has had issues with her tennis federation.
Wozniacki d. Brengle in 2 sets – While i’ll be surprised if Wozniacki goes all the way in Luxembourg following her run in Hong Kong, I think she’ll be too good in this match-up for Brengle.
Petkovic d. Minella in 3 sets – This will Petkovic’s first match since Tokyo where she was forced to retire from her first round match against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The local player, Minella, has failed to win a main draw match in Luxembourg in nine previous attempts. I think she’s got a shot in this one and it could go down to the wire with Petkovic likely to be rusty.
Golubic d. Lisicki in 2 sets – Perfect court for Lisicki but you just cannot predict what she’s going to produce from match to match. Golubic could be tired and flat from Linz, but her game is the type that could frustrate Lisicki.
Witthoeft d. Barthel in 2 sets – Sad about what has happened to Barthel this year and she is defending finals points. Witthoeft came through three rounds of qualifying to make the main draw. I was pretty down on Witthoeft after watching her play one of the worst matches i’ve watched all year against Falconi in Indian Wells. Since then, i’ve been impressed with what i’ve seen. Her game reminds me a bit of Bouchard; I think she’s been improving tactically in matches i’ve seen of late.
Larsson d. Parmentier in 2 sets – Parmentier has lost her last three matches on tour. Larsson lost her first match in Linz but has been having a decent second half to the year, winning 17 matches since Wimbledon. I’ll take the seed, Larsson, in this one.
Dodin d. Kr. Pliskova in 3 sets – A Linz rematch! Pliskova led by a set and a break and couldn’t serve out the match. The Czech player has come through three rounds of qualifying for the second straight week while Dodin got a wildcard. Big serving games so don’t think there’ll be much between them. The match in Linz may have an impact mentally…
Cirstea d. Smitkova in 2 sets – First time match-up and Smitkova’s playing just her third WTA main draw match of the year. Cirstea said in Linz that she was sad the season was ending so I think she’ll be up for this one.
WTA Luxembourg R1 Predictions for Monday
Day 1 – 2/6
Kontaveit d. Garcia in 3 sets – I’m on the fence with this match-up. Garcia’s the seed, but I do admire Kontaveit’s talent and she played an excellent match to beat Bouchard in Linz. Admittedly, she played a poor match against Allertova in the second round. Garcia’s been more promising of late but I was surprised she lost to Mattek-Sands in Hong Kong and she’ll be focused on Singapore (for the doubles) come the end of the week.
Flipkens d. Niculescu in 3 sets – What a dreamy match-up! Book some slices in this one. Flipkens leads the head-to-head, 3-1 with their two previous matches also coming indoors. Another one where I don’t have a strong opinion but instinct is with Flipkens indoors.
Siegemund d. Schiavone in 2 sets – A whole lotta fun in these Luxembourg first rounders! Schiavone hasn’t played since retiring from her second round match in Tashkent towards the end of September.
Allertova d. Bouchard in 2 sets – Allertova had a great run in Luxembourg back in 2014 when she made her first breakthrough on the tour. Bouchard laboured in her first match in Linz against Kontaveit and Allertova is a similar competitor with a big serve and competent groundstrokes.
Wickmayer d. Schmiedlova in 2 sets – This could be Schmiedlova’s last WTA tournament for a while as she’s now down to 151 (!) in the rankings. Schmiedlova has won four of her last 14 matches which is actually one of her better records this year. Wickmayer has had some decent results this year but hasn’t been able to build on any of them. Still, Wickmayer will be the heavy favourite in this match.
Lepchenko d. Pironkova in 2 sets – Pironkova looked way off the pace in Linz last week in what was her first match since the US Open. This will be the pair’s 8th match on the tour and Lepchenko won their most recent encounter, 6-3 6-0 in Rome earlier this year.
WTA Luxembourg – Who will win poll
Full draw predictions
R1
Kvitova
Lepchenko
Witthoeft
Larsson
Kontaveit
Petkovic
Dodin
Doi
Allertova
Cirstea
Wickmayer
Beck
Siegemund
Flipkens
Golubic
Wozniacki
R2
Kvitova
Larsson
Kontaveit
Dodin
Allertova
Wickmayer
Flipkens
Wozniacki
QF
Kvitova
Dodin
Allertova
Flipkens
SF
Kvitova
Allertova
F
Kvitova
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