A couple of quarter-final picks from Oeiras today, under partially cloudy skies and a cool 57°F that should keep the conditions pretty slow on clay. Neither of these is a clearcut match, so let's get into it.
WTA Oeiras Open CETO Predictions
Darja Semenistaja vs Whitney Osuigwe
Head-to-head: Semenistaja 1-1 Osuigwe
The h2h is perfectly level, but Semenistaja is the higher-ranked player and has been the more consistent performer on clay this season. She's more comfortable in long baseline rallies on slower surfaces and the conditions here suit her well.
Osuigwe is dangerous and has shown she can play at this level, but ranking Semenistaja at 112 versus 180 for Osuigwe does reflect a real gap in consistency right now. I think this goes three sets, but Semenistaja has enough to come through, all things considered.
Prediction: Semenistaja in 3
Elena Pridankina vs Fiona Ferro
Head-to-head: First meeting
Two players ranked close together outside the top 200, so don't expect a whole lot of clarity here. Ferro is the more experienced of the two and has a history of performing reasonably well on clay, particularly during her time on tour earlier in her career, and that experience could matter in a tight quarter-final.
Pridankina has nothing on Ferro in terms of tour pedigree and in a close match on clay that tends to count for something. That said, Ferro in three.
Prediction: Ferro in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Ivan Terron/AFP7 via ZUMA Press Wire