WTA Tournament in Madrid, Round of 16, Tuesday, 03.05.2022
Will the great death of the favourites continue in Madrid? On Spanish clay, the best have been fighting for the title for a few days now, not all of those who were high on the experts’ lists are still in the mix.
So it is all the more pleasing that the winner of the last US Open is finally on her way back to her old strength. On Tuesday she has to face a real surprise. Read my Raducanu Kalinina tip to find out why the bookies don’t have a real favourite!
Tender 18 years old was Emma Raducanu when she stormed in last September as a completely unknown qualifier and ended up winning the title. From one day to the next, she was world famous, which did not only bring her sunny sides.
On the court, she soon had to pay tribute to all the new things that came her way. Her performance in 2022, starting with her elimination in the second round of the Australian Open, was also decisive for this.
In Indian Wells and Miami, she won a total of only one match, but for months she has always been eliminated only very narrowly, after three sets. The exception: the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
Here she met the best in the world, Iga Swiatek, in the quarter-finals. She sold herself very well at 4-6, 4-6 and showed a clear improvement in performance. One that she can continue in these days of Madrid.
After her 7-6, 6-0 against Tereza Martincova, she put Marta Kostjuk in her place with a more than clear 6-2, 6-1. Three games down in the last three sets, Raducanu is powering ahead.
While she gave up seven break chances against Martincova but only allowed one, Kostjuk was completely without a chance on British serve. So, in her first appearance in Madrid, she could go very far.
The Ukrainian is by no means one of the favourites, but she could be a big surprise. While she was convincing in Charleston with a quarter-final, she failed directly in round 1 in Istanbul.
She has obviously recovered well from that. It is also the first time for her to play in Spain’s capital, but she sells herself very well. She was convincing right from the start in the first round, beating Sloane Stephens 7-6, 6-4.
When she faced Garbine Muguruza, seeded seventh, she pulled off a brilliant performance: 6-3, 6-0! Since she produced a total of seven double faults in both rounds, Kalinina even has room for improvement.
The 25-year-old is only now really getting into her stride, as her performances were highly shaky at the beginning of the year. But since she won a set against Iga Swiatek in March, she should always be on your radar!
My Raducanu Kalinina Tip
Emma Raducanu seems to be as strong as last year again, Anhelina Kalinina apparently as good as never before. Both were convincing all along the line in Madrid, not dropping a single set.
With both serving so strongly, there is only one thing I can’t imagine: A very quick end.
Therefore my tip is: We will see more than 19.5 games!
