WTA Tournament in Linz, Round of 16, Wednesday, 08.02.2023
Will Jule Niemeier finally crack the world’s top 50 in 2023? The Dortmund native definitely has what it takes, but first she has to manage to consistently show her potential in the course of a tournament.
She has already knocked out a former Grand Slam winner in Linz, and now she naturally wants to reach the quarter-finals. In Betano’s match on Wednesday, she is very close to the lead.
Find out why I am betting on a very close match in my Potapova Niemeier tip!
If Jule Niemeier would always perform like she did at the Australian Open despite her 1st round exit, she could probably soon belong to the world elite. After her 4-6, 5-7 against Iga Swiatek it was clear: she can keep up with the big ones.
A short time later in Lyon, she actually had a lot of plans, but fell short of her own expectations. She won against Olga Danilova 7-5, 2-6, 6-3, but then lost to Camila Osorio 6-7, 5-7.
After winning in three sets, she was eliminated in the next round, which is exactly what Niemeier does not want to happen in Linz. In Austria, she had a hard time at the beginning of the tournament, but her opponent Sofia Kenin was by no means an easy match.
The former world number 4 is slowly regaining her composure after many injuries, but in the end she had no chance against Niemeier. The 23-year-old secured a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, did not let herself be impressed by the intervening deficit.
75% points won on the first serve, this indicator, among others, brought her into the round of 16. Now, however, a rival awaits her, who is seeded eighth in Linz.
Niemeier has played Anastasia Potapova once in her career, in 2022 in Lausanne they both met in the quarter-finals. 4-6, 2-6, the German didn’t know what to do back then.
The betting companies can’t really decide who they think will win on Wednesday. The average odds of 1.85 to 1.90 show that Niemeier is seen in the lead.
Anastasia Potapova is ranked number 44 in the world, but has only won one title in her career. The Russian was eliminated in the 2nd round of the Australian Open and was not really convincing in Lyon either.
She won against Marina Bassols Ribera and Clara Burel in three sets, although she was seeded fifth. In the quarter-finals against the rather unknown Maryna Zanevska she lost 6-3, 1-6, 2-6.
The 21-year-old obviously likes matches that go the full distance, because in Linz she also started with an exhausting performance. She lost the first set against Lucia Bronzetti 2-6, before she remembered her strengths.
She won the last two sets 6-3, 6-4 and is now seeded eighth in the round of 16. With 53% of points won on first serve, she should definitely be a match for Jule Niemeier.
My Potapova Niemeier Tip
Jule Niemeier is finally looking to play another really strong tournament after her win over Sofia Kenin – and she will be looking to go all the way. With Anastasia Potapova she has got a beatable opponent, but not an easy one either.
As I could see in my analysis, the Russian loves very long, intense matches that usually go over three sets.
Since Niemeier often has to go into a third set as well, I’m betting :
We see more than 20.5 games!
