We've got three quarter-final picks from the Madrid Open today, and honestly it's a mixed bag of straightforward and genuinely hard to call. Who do you think makes it through to the semis?
WTA Madrid Open Predictions
Aryna Sabalenka vs Hailey Baptiste
Head-to-head: Sabalenka 1-0 Baptiste
Baptiste has had a strong run to get here and at 35 in the world she's no pushover, but Sabalenka on clay at a Premier Mandatory event is a completely different proposition. The Belarusian is the defending champion in Madrid and has been one of the most dominant players on the tour this season, and slow clay conditions only amplify how hard she hits the ball.
That said, Sabalenka has had the odd slip in big matches recently, which is the only reason this doesn't feel like a complete walkover. Baptiste plays without much fear and can hit big off both sides, so if she gets hot early it could get interesting. I think Sabalenka still controls this one, but Baptiste makes her work for it.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 3
Marta Kostyuk vs Linda Noskova
Head-to-head: Kostyuk 1-0 Noskova
Noskova is the higher-ranked player and hits the ball hard enough to hurt anyone, but her game doesn't really suit slow clay the way Kostyuk's does. Kostyuk is so good at not panicking in long rallies and she constructs points patiently, which tends to frustrate big hitters who want things over quickly. Their only previous meeting went Kostyuk's way too, so there's no reason to flip the script here.
Prediction: Kostyuk in 3
Karolina Pliskova vs Anastasia Potapova
Head-to-head: Pliskova 1-0 Potapova
Pliskova at 197 in the world is basically playing on memories and a big serve at this point, and clay has never been her best surface anyway. Reaching a Madrid quarter-final is a genuinely impressive run from her and Potapova is 54 in the world and in much better form on a week-to-week basis. Hard to see Pliskova winning this one at all given the ranking gap. Their only previous meeting went Pliskova's way, but that feels like a long time ago now.
Prediction: Potapova in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
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