Berlin 2024 Day 2: Women's singles predictions ft. Veronika Kudermetova vs Liudmila Samsonova
The WTA players have started their grass court preparations at the Berlin Open in the build-up to this year's Wimbledon. The competition for the tournament is intense as it features some of the top-ranked players in the world.
Day 2 of the Berlin Open has several good matches in prospect. The day will see an all-Russian affair between Veronika Kudermetova and Liudmila Samsonova.
The match between Beatriz Haddad Maia and Ekaterina Alexandrova also holds importance for the draw, as the winner will play top-seed Coco Gauff in the next round. Also, the day will have a battle between two wildcards Jule Niemeier and Donna Vekic.
Let's look at the predictions of these matches and see how they might turn out-
# 1. Veronika Kudermetova vs Liudmila Samsonova
One of the matches of the day at the 2024 Berlin Open will be between two Russian compatriots Veronika Kudermetova and Liudmila Samsonova. Kudermetova is a former Top 10 ranked player who was at a career-high ranking of 9.
The 2024 season for the Russian has been greatly underwhelming. She has suffered early-round exits in most of the tournaments she has played. The one notable exception was the Charleston Open, where she made it to the quarter-finals, losing to Maria Sakkari.
However, Kudermetova had a good grass season in 2023. She made it to the finals of the Libema Open and the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open. On both occasions, she lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova, the latter being a walkover. This year, she has had an early exit from the Libema Open, losing to Dalma Galfi.
Liudmila Samsonova had a lukewarm start to the 2024 season. She mostly had early-round exits, with two runs to the semi-final at Abu Dhabi and Strasbourg. She lost to Elena Rybakina and Madison Keys respectively.
However, she has made an excellent start to the grass court season, having won the Libema Open, defeating Bianca Andrescu in the final. The Russian also won the Berlin Championships in 2021, defeating Belinda Bencic in the final.
Kudermetova leads the head-to-head between the pair 3-2, having won the last encounter in Zhuhuai in 2023. The pair have met in Berlin twice, both winning one match apiece. However, given the current form on grass, Samsonova is likely to start as the favorite in this match.
Pick: Liudmila Samsonova to win in three sets
#2 Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Beatriz Hadda Maia is yet to make a final appearance in the 2024 season. A semi-final appearance in Abu Dhabi (lost to Daria Kastakina), a quarter-final in Madrid (lost to Iga Swiatek), and a semi-final in Strasbourg (lost to Liudmila Samsonova) have been the season highlights for the Brazilian in 2024.
Haddad Maia had a disrupted grass court season in 2023, as she had to withdraw from the middle of the match due to injury on two occasions. At Wimbledon, she made it to the fourth round but had to give a walkover against Elena Rybakina due to injury concerns. The Brazilian has a credible grasscourt pedigree, as she has won two grass-court titles in Nottingham and Birmingham in 2022.
Ekaterina Alexndrova had a good start to the 2024 season. She made it to the finals of the Linz Open, losing to Jelena Ostapenko, and a semi-final appearance at the Miami Open, losing to Danielle Collins. The clay court season, however, saw the Russian face multiple early-round exits.
The grass court season brought back the form for Alexandrova. She made it to the semi-finals of the Libema Open, losing to Liudmila Samsonova. Samsonova was a double-defending champion at the Libema Open, having won the title in 2021 and 2022, defeating Aryna Sabalenka and Veronika Kudermetova, respectively.
Haddad Maia has a head-to-head record of 3-0 against the Russian, winning the last match at Roland Garros last year. However, this will be the first time the pair will meet on the grass and Alexandrova has already played one match on the surface. Therefore, she might have the edge going into the encounter.
Pick: Alexandrova to win in three sets
# 3. Donna Vekic vs Jule Niemeier
Another match on Day 2 will feature last year's runner-up Donna Vekic taking on newcomer Julie Niemeier from Germany. Vekic has not had the best of seasons in 2024. Apart from a semi-final appearance at the Linz Open (losing to Ekaterina Alexandrova), and a quarter-final in San Diego ( losing to Katie Boulter), the veteran Croatian doesn't have much to show for in the season.
Vekic, however, is a veteran on the grass, making it to four finals on the surface. However, her one title came at the Nottingham Open in 2017 where she defeated home favorite Johanna Konta in the final.
Niemeier has struggled to qualify for the main draw at tournaments, mostly playing at challenger-level tournaments and qualifiers. Her one decent performance came at the Linz Open when she reached the round of 16 losing to Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Last year, she reached the round of 16 in Berlin where she had to retire mid-match against Marketa Vondrousova. She played at the main draw of Wimbledon in 2023, losing to Dalma Galfi in the second round.
This will be the first encounter between Vekic and Niemeier. Given her experience and form, the Croatian should be able to win the match.
Pick: Vekic to win in straight sets.