Italian Open 2021: Ashleigh Barty vs Veronika Kudermetova preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (1) Ashleigh Barty vs Veronika Kudermetova
Date: 13 May 2021
Tournament: Internazionali BNL d'italia 2021
Round: Third round (Round of 16)
Venue: Rome, Italy
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: $1,835,490
Match timing: Approx. 12 pm local time, 10 am GMT, 6 am EST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Ashleigh Barty vs Veronika Kudermetova preview
Top seed Ashleigh Barty will aim for a spot in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open when she takes on World No. 28 Veronika Kudermetova on Thursday.
After being out of action for nearly a year due to the pandemic, Barty has come back with a bang in 2021. The Aussie has racked up 26 wins this season, including three titles and a runner-up finish.
One of those titles came on clay, at the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Barty nearly made it a double on the red dirt, but an inspired Aryna Sabalenka edged her in the Madrid final.
That loss hasn't dampened her spirits though; the 25-year-old is already back in business in Rome. Barty has started the hunt for her second claycourt title of the year in strong fashion, registering a 6-4, 6-1 win over Yaroslava Shvedova on Wednesday.
The World No. 1's next opponent, Veronika Kudermetova, is another player who has been striking the ball with confidence on clay.
Kudermetova tasted title glory for the first time in her career at Charleston last month. And she has brought that form to Europe as well, reaching the semifinals at Istanbul and the Round of 16 at Madrid.
Kudermetova began her Italian Open campaign with a fighting 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over 14th seed Elise Mertens. The 24-year-old had suffered four consecutive losses to Mertens before their Rome clash, but she turned the tables around in fine fashion on Tuesday.
Kudermetova then knocked out the talented Caroline Garcia 6-4, 6-4 en route to the third round. Even though Barty will be a different ball-game altogether, the Russian seems ready for the challenge.
Ashleigh Barty vs Veronika Kudermetova head-to-head
Ashleigh Barty and Veronika Kudermetova have never crossed paths, so their head-to-head currently stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Ashleigh Barty vs Veronika Kudermetova prediction
This will be a match of contrasting styles. Veronika Kudermetova likes to attack from the baseline with her barrage of flat forehands, while Ashleigh Barty looks to use her guile and finesse to neutralize the power of her opponents.
Barty will likely employ her patented slice-and-dropshot combination on Thursday to disrupt Kudermetova's rhythm. She will also look to exploit any lapses in the Russian's serve, which has been hit-or-miss lately.
While Kudermetova sent down seven aces against Caroline Garcia in her last match, her first-serve percentage was a disappointing 50.9%. If she doesn't get a high percentage of first serves in, she might find it tough to remain toe-to-toe with an efficient returner such as Barty.
Kudermetova also needs to maintain the depth on her groundstrokes to keep her opponent pinned to the baseline. Barty is a proficient doubles player, and will look to come forward and finish points off at the net if she gets anything short.
For Kudermetova to win this match, she needs to tick a number of different boxes - right from her serve and groundstrokes to her movement and volleying. That is easier said than done, especially since Barty is in such ruthless form at the moment.
Prediction: Ashleigh Barty to win in straight sets.