Linz 2021: Women's singles draw analysis, preview & prediction | Upper Austria Ladies
The Upper Austria Ladies Linz is the final WTA 250 event of the season. The highly popular indoor tournament, scheduled to be held from November 6-12, has attracted quite a few top names.
Leading the brigade is reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu, who is the top seed at a WTA tournament for the first time in her career. Former World No. 1 Simona Halep, who finished as the runner-up at Cluj last week, is the second seed in Linz.
Palermo and San Jose champion Danielle Collins, and Charleston winner Veronika Kudermetova rounds out the top four seeds.
On that note, here's an in-depth look at how the draw might unfold:
Top half: Danielle Collins, Ekaterina Alexandrova look to topple Emma Raducanu
Seeded players: [1] Emma Raducanu, [3] Danielle Collins, [5] Ekaterina Alexandrova, [8] Alison Riske
Expected semifinal: Emma Raducanu vs Danielle Collins
Dark horse: Alison Van Uytvanck
Analysis: Being the top seed at a tournament is a new experience for Emma Raducanu and it remains to be seen how the British teenager handles the pressure.
After an opening-round defeat at Indian Wells, Raducanu appeared to have found her form again as she made the quarterfinals at Cluj. The US Open champion will be keen to build on that result and secure her second title of the season in the Austrian city.
After a first-round bye, the British wildcard will face a qualifier. Her path gets tougher from there onwards as eighth seed Alison Riske is her projected quarterfinal opponent. The American is on the comeback trail after suffering Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis, but she has been gradually improving her performances, as is evident from her runner-up finish at Portoroz.
A win over the American could book a meeting with third seed Danielle Collins or fifth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Danielle Collins enters Linz in a rich vein of form, having notched up three wins at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals this week. The American starts her campaign in the second round against either Oceane Dodin or Greet Minnen.
She could come up against Alexandrova or Alison Van Uytvanck in the quarterfinals. While World No. 32 Alexandrova is the higher-ranked player and thus likelier to progress to the last eight, Van Uytvanck won the Astana Open this year and cannot be written off.
Semifinal prediction: Danielle Collins def. Emma Raducanu
Bottom half: Veronika Kudermetova, Jasmine Paolini & Dayana Yastremska hope to challenge Simona Halep
Seeded players: [2] Simona Halep, [4] Veronika Kudermetova, [6] Sorana Cirstea, [7] Jasmine Paolini
Expected semifinal: Simona Halep vs Veronika Kudermetova
Dark horse: Dayana Yastremska
Analysis: 2021 has proven to be a forgettable year for Simona Halep on the professional front. A calf injury forced her to miss the French Open, Wimbledon Championships and the Tokyo Olympics. The Romanian has continued to suffer physically since returning to the tour, sustaining minor injuries.
The silver lining in what has so far been a challenging season for Halep is undoubtedly her performance in Cluj. Playing in front of her home fans, the Romanian reached her first final in 13 months. Even though she could not lift the title, the former World No. 1 would have definitely gained some confidence.
Halep could open her campaign in Linz against World No. 88 Aliaksandra Sasnovich provided the Belarusian manages to beat Fiona Ferro. Sasnovich upset Halep at the BNP Paribas Open just a few weeks ago and the World No. 22 will need to be at her best if she wants to avenge that defeat.
Halep has a few more obstacles in her path, with seventh seed Jasmine Paolini or Dayana Yastremska a possible quarterfinal opponent. Paolini won her maiden WTA title at Portoroz earlier in the year while Yastremska has slowly been gaining in confidence since her comeback to the tour post a doping suspension.
The other quarter in this half will likely see fourth seed Veronika Kudermetova and sixth seed Sorana Cirstea vying for a semifinal spot. Kudermetova has been instrumental in Russia's run to the Billie Jean King Cup final this week with three wins in doubles.
The 24-year-old will look to continue the good run in Linz when she takes on Anhelina Kalinina or Martina Trevisan in the second round after a first-round bye. The Russian is projected to meet Cirstea in the quarterfinals.
The Romanian has a 2-0 head-to-head advantage over Kudermetova and knocked the Russian out of the US Open earlier this year.
Semifinal prediction: Simona Halep def. Sorana Cirstea
Prediction for the final
Danielle Collins def. Simona Halep