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Match details
Fixture: Eugenie Bouchard vs Paula Badosa
Date: 12 September 2020
Tournament: TEB BNP Paribas Tennis Championship 2020
Round: Semifinal
Venue: Istanbul, Turkey
Category: WTA International
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: $225,500
Match timing: Not before 2.30 pm EEST, 5 pm IST
Eugenie Bouchard vs Paula Badosa preview
Eugenie Bouchard and Paula Badosa will face off against each other on Saturday for a place in the final of the WTA Istanbul Open.
Having fallen to No. 272 in the world rankings, Bouchard is not the same player that she used to be a few years ago. But the former Wimbledon finalist had a strong start to the year, reaching the quarterfinal in Auckland, before failing to qualify for the Australian Open.
Bouchard has looked markedly better on European clay since the restart of the tennis season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Canadian player reached the quarterfinal at the Prague Open, only bowing out to finalist Elise Mertens.
This week in Istanbul, Bouchard registered a quality win over Svetlana Kuznetsova before getting past Danka Kovinic in a hard-fought three-set quarterfinal. She fought off her spirited opponent and also an apparent shoulder injury for over three hours to reach the semifinal, in the process strengthening her bid to go deep at the upcoming French Open.
Even though the Canadian is unlikely make it to the Roland Garros qualifiers on the basis of her ranking, one can safely assume the in-form player will be given a wildcard if she asks for it.
Bouchard's opponent in the semifinal is the talented Paula Badosa of Spain. Despite poor results on the American hardcourts - losing in qualification at the Western & Southern Open and the first round at the US Open - Badosa has rallied to make a smooth transition to outdoor clay.
In the quarterfinals on Friday, Badosa defeated Polona Hercog after overturning a one-set deficit. The Spaniard would now be keen to continue her run over the weekend.
Eugenie Bouchard vs Paula Badosa head-to-head
The meeting in Istanbul is the second between the two payers, and Paula Badosa currently leads the head-to-head against Eugenie Bouchard by a margin of 1-0.
The pair met in the first round at Contrexeville in 2018 where, despite a second-set push from Bouchard, Badosa prevailed 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
Eugenie Bouchard vs Paula Badosa prediction
Genie Bouchard's recent upturn in form combined with Paula Badosa's superior ranking and head-to-head record makes this a difficult match to predict.
Bouchard's strong first serve has come to her aid all tournament, as she hasn't got broken more than thrice in any match. And the Canadian's proven ability to absorb and redirect the pace from her opponent's groundstrokes has come into play too, making her particularly dangerous for power players.
Paula Badosa will, however, look to take advantage of her opponent's occasionally shaky movement, especially if the injury is still troubling Bouchard. Badosa will try and force the Canadian on the defensive, making her alter her playing style and fight for the win.
However, if Bouchard maintains her service record and keeps her groundstrokes clean, she should be able to cross the finish line and reach the final on Saturday.
Prediction: Eugenie Bouchard to win in three sets.
