WTA Moscow quarterfinals: Preview and Predictions

The Kremlin Cup will enter the quarter-final round today, and here are the matches that will take place:

1) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Daniela Hantuchova

Daniela Hantuchova

The only match that doesn’t include a seeded player pits Russian Pavlyuchenkova against the hard-hitting veteran Hantuchova.

The Russian, though having won 2 titles this year, has overall had a disappointing year, but her bad form was not present when she impressively took out 3rd seed Kirilenko in Round 2.

Hantuchova,on the other hand was the victor in a difficult match against Vesna Dolonc, playing for more than two and a half hours. Expect a tense match with both players fighting for a coveted semi-final spot.

The pick – Hantuchova in three sets.

2) Simona Halep vs Alisa Kleybanova

In her first quarterfinal since her comeback to the tour, crowd favorite Kleybanova faces off against 5th seed Simona Halep.

Halep is having a breakthrough year winning 4 titles and is looking to continue her fine form into another semi-final.

Meanwhile, Kleybanova is having her breakout tournament this year and has posted some impressive victories this week, including a win over 6th seed Carla Suarez Navarro. Expect Kleybanova to be firmly backed by her home crowd.

The pick – Halep in three sets.

3) Ana Ivanovic vs Samantha Stosur

Ana Ivanovic

Last week’s Linz finalist, 4th seed Ana Ivanovic faces off against last week’s Osaka winner, 7th seed Samantha Stosur in the first match of the day.

A tough one to predict but a sure entertainer, both players should be at their respective best.

The last time the pair met was at the Kremlin Cup itself one year ago, where Stosur edged out Ivanovic in the semi-finals. But last year, Stosur came into the event as the top seed.

Now as the 7th seed, Stosur will have to bring the big guns in order to beat Ivanovic, who should be riding on a wave of confidence.

The pick – Ivanovic in two sets.

4) Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Roberta Vinci

The third Russian to reach the quarterfinal, Svetlana Kuznetsova plays 2nd seed Roberta Vinci in what seems like a cracker of a match.

Kuznetsova and Vinci have had polar opposite years – the Russian’s below-average while Vinci ‘s an amazing one.

Don’t be fooled: Vinci may seem the clear favorite on paper, but the Russian has impressed in her first two matches and has enough experience to win the title this week.

Expect the crowd to be firmly behind the two-time Slam champion Kuznetsova.

The pick- Kuznetsova in 3 sets.

(The Kremlin Cup will be shown LIVE on Ten Sports from 2:30 PM IST onwards)