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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Veronika Kudermetova vs (4) Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Date: June 18, 2023.
Round: Final.
Tournament: Libema Open 2023.
Venue: 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
Category: WTA 250.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: €259,303.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Discovery.
Veronika Kudermetova vs Ekaterina Alexandrova preview
Top seed Veronika Kudermetova will take on defending champion Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final of the Libema Open on Sunday.
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Kudermetova entered the grass-court event following a disappointing first-round exit at the French Open. She started the tournament against Alison Riske and led 6-3, 3-0 before the American was forced to retire due to an injury. The Russian then beat Carol Zhao 6-1, 6-3 before defeating Celine Naef 6-3, 6-2 to book her place in the semifinals.
Here, she faced Viktoria Kuzmova and made two service breaks in either set to win 6-3, 6-2 and reach her first singles final of the 2023 season.
Ekaterina Alexandrova, meanwhile, entered the Libema Open as the fourth seed and started the WTA 250 event with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Evgenya Rodina. She then faced Kimberly Birrell and registered a 6-4, 7-6(3) win over the Aussie to book her place in the quarterfinals.
Here, the Russian triumphed 6-4, 6-4 over Emina Bektas to set up a semifinal clash against seventh seed Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Alexandrova dominated the first set and won it 6-1. Sasnovich showed a lot of resistance in the second set but the Russian managed to edge her via a tiebreak to reach her first final of the 2023 season.
Veronika Kudermetova vs Ekaterina Alexandrova head-to-head
Kudermetova leads 2-1 in the head-to-head between the two. Their last meeting came in the semifinals of last year's Libema Open, with Alexandrova winning 6-2, 6-1.
Veronika Kudermetova vs Ekaterina Alexandrova odds
Odds will be updated once available.
Veronika Kudermetova vs Ekaterina Alexandrova prediction
The match promises to be an exciting one as both players have produced some impressive performances so far.
Kudermetova's first serve has been quite effective throughout the Libema Open, as she has served 23 aces while winning 98 out of 123 points (79.7%). The 26-year-old will look to fetch as many free points as she can. She loves to play aggressively and will be eager to put the pressure on her opponent early on.
Alexandrova also has a pretty strong serve that has fetched her 29 aces so far in 's-Hertogenbosch. The 28-year-old's first serve has been very formidable, as she has claimed 109 out of 133 points (81.9%). Like Kudermetova, Alexandrova also has an all-out attacking game, so it might eventually come down to who makes fewer mistakes on court.
We could have a thriller on our hands given the current form of both players and who will come out on top is anyone's guess.
Pick: Alexandrova to win in three sets.
