Two semi-finals to preview from the WTA Paris Masters today, and both are genuinely hard to call. We've got our picks for you below.
WTA Paris Masters Predictions
Madison Keys vs Yuliia Starodubtseva
Head-to-head: Keys 0-1 Starodubtseva
Keys is the higher-ranked player here and on a neutral surface you'd probably back her, but clay is a different story. She's never been comfortable on it and her results at clay events consistently underperform her ranking. Starodubtseva, on the other hand, has clearly been playing some excellent tennis to reach this stage and that head-to-head record, however small the sample, already tells you something.
The slow conditions will drag Keys into long rallies and take away the flat, penetrating ball she relies on. Starodubtseva has shown she can handle the pressure of big moments this week and I think she gets through this one, though Keys will make her work for it.
Prediction: Starodubtseva in 3
Diane Parry vs Alina Charaeva
Head-to-head: Parry 1-0 Charaeva
Parry is ranked 30 spots above Charaeva and has the crowd behind her in Paris, which counts for something. That 1-0 head-to-head edge, won earlier in the season on an equally slow surface, doesn't tell us much on its own, but Parry has been a solid clay-court performer at home and the crowd will push her in tight moments.
That said, Charaeva has outperformed her ranking to get here and she's clearly in form. Parry at rank 95 isn't exactly playing the tennis of someone who dominates these matches, and Charaeva feels like the more dangerous player right now. Goes three sets, and the Charaeva run continues, all things considered.
Prediction: Charaeva in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Maxwell Vittorio/ZUMA Press Wire