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The field at the 2020 Palermo Ladies Open has come down to the final eight, and the list of names could not have been any more varied. In one of the most exciting prospects from Day 5, top seed Petra Martic will take on qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich for a spot in the semifinals.
Although her current ranking of No. 119 required Sasnovich to go through qualifying, she has looked every bit her best in the two main draw matches that she has played this week.
The Belarusian was absolutely clinical in her wins over fifth seed Elise Mertens and home favourite Jasmine Paolini. And she will need all the strength that she can muster to take on an opponent of the the quality of Petra Martic.
The top-ranked Croat has been in quite some form over the last 18 months, and has been producing her best tennis almost every tournament. What should be even more worrying for her opponents in Palermo is the fact that her biggest results have come on clay.
Be it her quarterfinal run at the French Open or her maiden title win in Istanbul, Martic has always looked menacing on the red dirt. The 29-year-old is a strong tactical player, and has also shown massive improvements in the serving department lately.
Martic often backs up her shots with quick approaches to the net, a part of her game that has never looked this solid in the past. Such is her confidence in the forecourt that she is not scared to come in even on slower surfaces such as European clay.
Petra Martic vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich head-to-head
This will be the fifth meeting between the duo, with Petra Martic holding a 3-1 advantage so far. The last time that these two played was on the hardcourts of Budapest in 2018, and Martic came out on top in three sets.
That said, both women have had very different career trajectories since. While the Croat has found great success with her newfound confidence, Sasnovich has struggled for consistency.
While this hasn't been evident in her matches here in Palermo, Sasnovich is prone to crumbling under the heat. She will need to bring controlled and accurate aggression - the kind that she has shown in her previous two matches - to the match against Martic if she hopes to spring another surprise.
Petra Martic vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich prediction
A tough one to call, this encounter could really go either way. Petra Martic remains the favorite on paper but that's not going to deter Aliaksandra Sasnovich from going for her shots.
That said, just based on their previous record and form coming into this one, Martic might have the slightest of edges in this one.
Prediction: Petra Martic to win in three sets.
