Madrid Open 2022: Amanda Anisimova vs Ekaterina Alexandrova preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match details
Fixture: Amanda Anisimova vs (Q) Ekaterina Alexandrova
Date: 4 May 2022.
Tournament: Madrid Open 2022.
Round: Quarterfinals.
Venue: Madrid, Spain.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Clay.
Prize money: €6,744,165.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Amanda Anisimova vs Ekaterina Alexandrova preview
World No. 33 Amanda Anisimova will lock horns with Russian qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova on Wednesday for a place in the semifinals of the Madrid Open.
The former French Open semifinalist started the season in brilliant fashion, winning the title at Melbourne Summer Set 2 and reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open.
However, she failed to build on her strong run Down Under, suffering early defeats in her next four tournaments.
The 20-year-old has once again rediscovered her form with the tour moving to clay. Anisimova made the semifinals in Charleston last month, where her campaign was cut short by Ons Jabeur in three sets.
At the ongoing Madrid Open, the young American has been a revelation so far. She ended Aryna Sabalenka's title defense in three sets in the first round and followed it up with wins over Petra Martic and 15th seed Victoria Azarenka to reach the last eight.
take a bow @AnisimovaAmanda 👏 https://t.co/au3EaU5iT7
Anisimova will now be eager to make back-to-back semifinals on clay when she meets Alexandrova.
Former World No. 25 Ekaterina Alexandrova, meanwhile, made a disappointing start to the season. She failed to notch consecutive wins in her first six events of the year.
But with the change of surface, the Russian had a turnaround in fortunes. She made it all the way to the semifinals in Charleston, winning four matches in a row.
The World No. 45 has fared even better this week in Madrid, having grabbed five successive wins, starting in the qualifiers. Her third-round match against fellow qualifier Marie Bouzkova turned out to be a stern test but the Russian was able to come through 6-7(4), 6-0, 7-5 in three hours and four minutes.
EKATERINA ALEXANDROVA 🔔
She reaches her first career WTA1000 quarterfinal at the Mutua Madrid Open, coming through an absolute THRILLER against fellow qualifier Marie Bouzkova 6-7, 6-0, 7-5!
Hats off to both players and easily one of the best matches of 2022! https://t.co/uPZQKzXpE1
Alexandrova will hope to recover in time from that marathon for her quarterfinal clash with Anisimova.
Amanda Anisimova vs Ekaterina Alexandrova head-to-head
Anisimova leads Alexandrova 1-0 in the head-to-head. The American earned a 6-3, 7-6(4) win over Alexandrova in their only meeting so far at Doha in 2020.
Amanda Anisimova vs Ekaterina Alexandrova odds
(All odds sourced from BetMGM)
Amanda Anisimova vs Ekaterina Alexandrova prediction
With both being big-hitting players, it will all boil down to who can keep their unforced errors in check.
For Alexandrova, it will be quite a challenge. She committed 80 unforced errors against Bouzkova in her last match even though she managed to escape in the end. A repeat of that could spell doom against a player of Anisimova's caliber, who can outhit almost anybody from the baseline.
It also remains to be seen if Alexandrova can fully recover from her long, draining battle with Bouzkova.
The odds are thus stacked in favor of the American. She has beaten Alexandrova once before and knows what it takes to get a second win over the Russian.
If Anisimova can serve well and find accuracy on her groundstrokes, she should be able to clinch her maiden semifinal berth in Madrid.
Pick: Anisimova to win in two tight sets.