Birmingham 2024 Day 5: Women's singles predictions ft. Barbora Krejcikova vs Anastasia Potapova
Day 5 at the 2024 Rothesay Classic will see the women battle it out in the quarterfinals. The event has sprung plenty of surprises already, and fans can brace themselves for another day of exciting action with a host of tantalizing encounters lined up.
Second seed Barbora Krejcikova will take on Russian seventh seed Anastasia Potapova in arguably the biggest match of the day. Sixth seed Leylah Fernandez, meanwhile, will continue her quest for a first title on the grass against Ajla Tomljanovic in another highly anticipated encounter.
Russian youngster Diana Shnaider is set to take on Elisabetta Cocciaretto, and Yulia Putinseva and Caroline Dolehide will go head-to-head in the other two last eight encounters.
On that note, here's a look at the predictions for some of the women's singles matches set to be played on Day 5 of the 2024 Rothesay Classic.
#3 Diana Shnaider vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto
Diana Shnaider and Elisabetta Cocciaretto will lock horns in the first match of Day 5 at the Rothesay Classic. The pair have faced off twice in the past, with Cocciaretto coming out on top on both occasions.
The Russian has been in great form this season. She's been in equally good touch on the grass this week and has yet to drop a set. She opened her campaign with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Amelia Rajecki in the opening round before bagging another straight-set 7-6 (5), 6-3 win in the second against eighth-seed Marie Bouzkova.
Cocciaretto, meanwhile, opened her campaign in Birmingham against top seed and defending champion Jelena Ostapenko in the first round. A near-flawless outing for the Italian on the day helped her seal an emphatic 6-3, 6-3 upset. She carried that destructive form into her second round, seeing off another former Grand Slam champion in straight sets (6-4, 6-2) in the form of Sloane Stephens.
Both players enter the contest on the back of some great form and promise fans an exciting affair. Cocciaretto could hold the slightest edge given her great experience on the surface. Holding fort from the back of the court and serving well will, however, be key elements towards a victory.
Pick: Cocciaretto in three sets.
#2 Yulia Putinseva vs Caroline Dolehide
Yulia Putinseva will take on Caroline Dolehide in a tantalizing quarterfinal clash at the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham. The pair have faced off just once in the past in Madrid earlier this year with Putinseva coming out in straight sets 6-2, 6-2.
Putinseva kicked off her campaign in Birmingham in emphatic fashion, brushing aside Clara Burel of France in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. She carried that momentum into her second-round encounter against Anhelina Kalinina, dropping just 3 games en route to a 6-3, 6-0 win.
Dolehide began her campaign in the qualifiers. She beat the likes of Eden Silva and Elina Avanesyan to seal her ticket to the main draw. She took on Nottingham finalist Karolina Pliskova in the opener and registered a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory. Another stunning display was to follow from the American who brushed aside fifth seed Elise Mertens in the next round to a 6-3, 3-0 scoreline.
Putinseva's superior record on the surface should give her a slight edge heading into the encounter. There is no discounting a surprise from Dolehide, however, who's been in some great form herself. The winner could ultimately boil down to who navigates their way through the big points better.
Pick: Putinseva in straight sets.
#1 Barbora Krejcikova vs Anastasia Potapova
Second seed and last year's runner-up Barbora Krejcikova will lock horns with an in-form Anastasia Potapova in a tantalizing quarterfinal clash at the Rothesay Classic. It will be the third meeting between the pair, who currently split their head-to-head evenly at 1-1. Potapova came out on top in their last encounter at the 2022 Hamburg Open.
Krejcikova kicked off her campaign in Birmingham with a gritty 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory over Daria Saville in her opener. Up against home favorite Harriet Dart in the second round, Krejcikova played some of her finest singles tennis of the year en route to an emphatic 6-3, 6-4 win.
Potapova, meanwhile, notched a routine 6-4, 6-4 win in her opener against compatriot Elina Avanesyan. Another clinical display on serve and from the back of the court helped her secure a comfortable 6-3, 7-5 win over Lucia Bronzetti in the second round.
Potapova holds an 18-12 match record so far this season and has a trio of last eight appearances in Brisbane, Linz, and Indian Wells. Krejcikova, on the contrary, has managed to compile a 7-7 match record so far with her fourth-round finish in Australia her most notable result yet.
The Russian should be able to seal the win despite being lower ranked. Her current form says otherwise and so does her record on the grass.
Pick: Potapova in three sets.