Three quarter-final picks from La Bisbal D'Emporda today, with mild temperatures and a bit of cloud cover making for decent clay-court conditions. There's at least one result here that looks like it's shaping up to be a genuine shock, so let's get into it.
WTA Catalonia Open Solgirones Predictions
Alina Charaeva vs Daria Kasatkina
Head-to-head: First meeting
Kasatkina is a seasoned clay-court player who's been in and out of the top 30 over the last few years, and even at 72 in the world right now she's a level above most players at a tournament like this. Charaeva is ranked 129th and hasn't made much noise on the WTA tour at this level, so it's hard to see her doing damage here.
That said, Kasatkina has had some inconsistent stretches lately and clay at a lower-tier event can throw up surprises. I think she gets through, but don't be shocked if Charaeva makes her work for a set.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Marina Bassols Ribera
Head-to-head: Maia 3-0 Ribera
This is the upset pick of the day, and it's a spicy one. Haddad Maia leads the head-to-head 3-0, including a meeting earlier this year on clay, and is ranked nearly 115 spots above Bassols Ribera, but the Spaniard is playing on home soil in a low-key clay event, and that combination can do strange things to a match. Haddad Maia has had a difficult stretch of form and hasn't been moving through draws the way she did when she was cracking the top 10.
Bassols Ribera knows these conditions, knows the crowd and has nothing to lose. Ribera pulls off the upset here.
Prediction: Ribera in 3
Sara Sorribes Tormo vs Elena Pridankina
Head-to-head: First meeting
Sorribes Tormo is ranked 359th right now, which tells you she's been dealing with some injury or form issues, but she's a former top-50 player and a clay specialist who knows exactly how to construct points on this surface. Hard to see Pridankina, ranked 229th, having the clay pedigree to match her on this kind of court.
Sorribes Tormo should still find a way to get through here. The ranking gap is misleading given her history, and clay is where she's always been most dangerous.
Prediction: Tormo in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Mark Willoughby/ZUMA Press Wire