Hamburg European Open 2022: Anett Kontaveit vs Andrea Petkovic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Anett Kontaveit vs (8) Andrea Petkovic
Date: July 21, 2022
Tournament: Hamburg European Open
Round: Quarterfinal
Venue: Hamburg, Germany
Category: WTA 250
Surface: Clay
Match Timing: Not before 12 pm local time / 10 am GMT/ 6 am ET / 3: 30 pm IST
Prize money: $251,750
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Anett Kontaveit vs Andrea Petkovic preview
Anett Kontaveit and Andrea Petkovic will lock horns in an exciting quarterfinal contest at the 2022 Hamburg European Open on Thursday.
Kontaveit, the top seed, has endured a tough few months after her stellar start to the season. Coming into the tournament, she has won back-to-back matches only once since lifting the trophy in Qatar back in February.
The Estonian, however, looks to have steadied the ship here in Hamburg, coming through straight-set wins in her first two matches. She will be keen to carry the momentum deeper into the tournament.
Petkovic had a similar build-up to this year's tournament. The German made a solid start to 2022, reaching the quarterfinals in Melbourne, but an injury ahead of Indian Wells derailed her season.
The German did score her 15th top-10 win over Garbine Muguruza on grass, but consistency has eluded her as well. Petkovic, last year's finalist, has looked strong in her dismissals of Tamara Korpatch and Misaki Doi this week and could well cause a few problems for Kontaveit on Thursday.
Anett Kontaveit vs Andrea Petkovic head-to-head
Kontaveit leads Petkovic 2-0 in their current head-to-head, having beaten her opponent in straight sets in both their prior meetings. The two, however, have not played in over a year.
Anett Kontaveit vs Andrea Petkovic odds
All odds sourced by BETMGM
Anett Kontaveit vs Andrea Petkovic prediction
Anett Kontaveit's association with Dmitry Tursunov at the back end of last season saw her unleash her full potential and surge to the top of the world rankings. The Estonian, who earlier possessed a strong counterpunching style, took on a more aggressive approach and the change worked wonders for her game.
The Estonian, however, has struggled to replicate the same level on surfaces outside of hardcourts. She struggled for wins on clay, often getting outmuscled from the baseline.
Andrea Petkovic, on the other hand, enjoys playing on the surface. The German, even at the age of 34, is one of the fittest players on the tour and can go toe-to-toe with just about anyone in the baseline exchanges.
Petkovic is also capable of flattening out her strike and taking on the ball early, something that she did exceptionally well against Doi in her last match.
While Kontaveit enters the contest as a favorite on paper, she will need to be wary of her tenacious opponent. The Estonian was slightly wasteful with the breakpoints and has struggled to win behind the second serve. Unless she can find a way to fix those issues, the top seed could well find herself on the backfoot against the defending finalist.
Prediction: Andrea Petkovic to win in three sets