Over the course of two weeks at the WTA 1000 in Madrid, we’ve seen a variety of storylines play out with the new 96-strong draw. Mirra Andreeva has emerged as a rising junior, while Coco Gauff’s forehand continues to fail her. But now that these and other threads have been tied, there are just eight players left in the competition. Predicting the results of the top half of the quarterfinals, which will be played on Wednesday, was our goal today. Tuesday’s other half will be covered in a separate article.
Forecasts for the WTA Madrid quarterfinals
Jessica Pegula vs. Veronika Kudermetova
Head-to-head: Initial encounter
When Jessica Pegula triumphed in Guadalajara last year, she shocked herself: “I almost chose not to come here because I dislike playing at altitude and have a poor track record there. I had several mental fights this week, but I most definitely changed that. This week has been fascinating and amazing.
But she managed to defeat her rivals there to win the title, and she advanced to the Madrid final by displaying exceptional patience in rallies. She plays with arguably of the game’s most consistent aggression, consistently keeping her balls low and flat and giving her opponents little room to manoeuvre in the sparse air.
Veronika Kudermetova shines in this situation for a very different reason: her thunderous serve. She has so far barely gotten through in three decisive sets, flawlessly covering her first serve points. That won’t be sufficient against Pegula’s incredible returning skills. It’s also possible that Kudermetova will find it difficult to attack the American’s flat balls. The Russian had a strong run, but it ends here.
Pegula is expected in 2.
Petra Martic versus Iga Swiatek
Swiatek leads the series 1-0. 2-0 for Martic/Martic Alexandrova
Petra Martic is a strange one. Her game is so strong that she actually won six out of the six of her top 20 matches last year. She has won two out of four matches this season, including a strong straight-sets victory over Barbora Krejcikova in the previous round. Martic, though, has only advanced as far as the quarterfinals twice this year (this is her second), with one semifinal appearance last year. She has a certain ease about her playing, but she can’t manage to keep that enchantment going through multiple games.
Iga Swiatek will pounce on any hints of weakness. The type of player Martic isn’t one who can rush Swiatek like Alexandrova did in the previous round.
