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Fixture: (11) Veronika Kudermetova vs (30) Anhelina Kalinina.
Date: May 19, 2023.
Tournament: Italian Open 2023.
Round: Semifinal.
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €3,572,618.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Veronika Kudermetova vs Anhelina Kalinina preview
11th seed Veronika Kudermetova will take on World No. 47 Anhelina Kalinina in the semifinals of the 2023 Italian Open on Friday.
Kudermetova defeated Nuria Parrizas Diaz, Anastasia Potapova, and Marie Bouzkova to set up a quarterfinal showdown against Qinwen Zheng. Both players were rather steady on serve in the first set, but it was the Chinese youngster who got the upper hand in the end.
Zheng broke Kudermetova's serve in the eighth game to go 5-3 up and served out the opener with ease in the next game. The Russian responded by claiming the second set for herself to level the proceedings.
Kudermetova broke her opponent's serve twice as she jumped to a 3-0 lead in the deciding set. Zheng put up a fight by bagging the next couple of games, but it wasn't enough. The 26-year-old remained in front until the end of the match to complete a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback win.
Kalinina ousted Anna Blinkova, Sofia Kenin, and Madison Keys to reach the quarterfinals, where she faced Beatriz Haddad Maia. The Ukrainian led by a break thrice in the first set and even held three set points, but she was unable to secure it for herself. She went on to lose the opener in the tie-break.
The second set played out in a similar manner, with a slight twist towards the end. Kalinina led by a break twice and held a couple of set points but once again was unable to close it out, leading to another tie-break. The Ukrainian held her nerve as she came out on top in the tie-break to clinch the set.
Haddad Maia was off to a good start in the final set as she jumped to a 3-0 lead. Kalinina flipped the script completely by reeling off the next six games to wrap up a 6-7 (2), 7-6 (6), 6-3 win after three hours and 41 minutes on the court.
Veronika Kudermetova vs Anhelina Kalinina head-to-head
The two have split their previous couple of meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 1-1. Kalinina won their most recent encounter at the 2023 Dubai Tennis Championships in three sets.
Veronika Kudermetova vs Anhelina Kalinina odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Veronika Kudermetova vs Anhelina Kalinina prediction
Both players staged a comeback after dropping the first set to win their respective quarterfinal bouts. Kalinina looked down and out in the third set, but she played some fearless tennis to snatch the match from Haddad Maia's hands.
Kalinina was chasing down every ball towards the end of the match. She flipped from her usual defensive tactics to play a little more aggressively and was rewarded for the same.
The Ukrainian will certainly be exhausted following her marathon match, but she does have a couple of days to recover. Kudermetova served rather well in the previous round, firing 11 aces and winning 72% of her first serve points. If she maintains this level, it'll be tough to best her.
Both are gunning to reach the final of a WTA 1000 event for the first time. Some nerves could be at play, but if they compete at the level they've displayed so far, this could be a close contest. Having said that, Kudermetova will enter this match as the favorite to win based on her past results.
Pick: Veronika Kudermetova to win in three sets.
