A couple of quarter-final picks from Hamburg today, with the clay at Rothenbaum playing under partially cloudy skies and temperatures around 15°C. We've got two interesting matchups to break down, so let's get into it.
WTA Hamburg Ladies Open Predictions
Mayar Sherif vs Paula Badosa Gibert
Head-to-head: Sherif 2-1 Badosa
Sherif leads this head-to-head and, importantly, she's the one who's been the more consistent clay-court performer over the years. Badosa has had her injury troubles and, while she's shown flashes of her old level recently, she's still ranked outside the top 90 for a reason. Sherif is very much at home on this surface and Hamburg suits her game well.
That said, Badosa has the ability to take over a match when she's hitting freely, and a best-of-three on clay is never a foregone conclusion. I think this goes to three sets, but Sherif's comfort on the surface and the H2H edge should be enough to see her through, all things considered.
Prediction: Sherif in 3
Oleksandra Oliynykova vs Elina Avanesyan
Head-to-head: First meeting
Avanesyan is ranked 208th in the world right now, and while you never want to completely write someone off in a quarter-final they've earned their way into, the gap here is real. Oliynykova is a solid clay-court player who moves well and doesn't give matches away cheaply and Avanesyan, ranked, 163 places below her, hasn't been at a level recently to suggest she can trouble someone that far above her. Hard to see this being competitive at all.
Oliynykova wins this.
Prediction: Oliynykova in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Scott Stuart/ZUMA Press Wire