Three quarter-final picks from Istanbul today, under partially cloudy skies and temperatures around 18°C. The clay courts here have thrown up some surprises this week, and if our picks are anything to go by, there's at least one more coming. Which of these do you see going the distance?
WTA Istanbul Open Predictions
Maria Timofeeva vs Francesca Jones
Head-to-head: First meeting
Timofeeva has been one of the more quietly consistent performers on clay this season and at 136 in the world she's been playing above her ranking at times. Jones, ranked 101st, has had her share of injury struggles over the years and clay isn't where she does her best work. On a slow indoor-style European clay, the rallies will suit Timofeeva's grinding baseline game more than Jones's flatter ball-striking.
Timofeeva wins this, but Jones will make her work for it in at least one set.
Prediction: Timofeeva in 3
Donna Vekic vs Mia Ristic
Head-to-head: First meeting
Hard to see this being competitive at all on paper, and most weeks it probably would be a walkover for Vekic. But Ristic is ranked 267th and has made a quarter-final here, so she's clearly been playing some serious tennis this week and clay is a surface that rewards momentum and confidence. Vekic is a hard-court player at heart and has never been fully convincing on clay, and if she comes in cold or flat, Ristic has the legs to run her around all day.
I feel like this is exactly the kind of situation where the ranking gap means nothing, and Ristic takes it.
Prediction: Ristic in 3
Alice Tubello vs Polina Kudermetova
Head-to-head: First meeting
Tubello has done well to reach the last eight from her ranking of 256, but Kudermetova is a seasoned clay-court performer, which has been her calling card throughout her career, and the step up in quality here is steep. The gap between them should show pretty clearly once the points get long and Tubello won't have many free points to work with. That said, Kudermetova in 3 is the call, though she may have to be patient to close it out.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Debby Wong/ZUMA Press Wire