Barbora Krejcikova vs Anastasia Potapova Prediction: Proven Barbora takes on young star Anastasia

The US Open is just a week away or so and before that, we have seen the USA tennis already heat up, from the Cincinnati Open and now to the Cleveland Open, also referred to as the Tennis in the Land, we have been given great dose in the USA scene. So, how will things move when Barbora Krejcikova takes on Anastasia Potapova in the Round of 32 game.

Barbora comes into the game after participating in the Cincinnati Open where she lost in a one-sided battle to Veronika Kudermetova during the First Round. Barbora’s first and second win serve% were 50% or below which indicated that she wasn’t turned on in terms of her serve at all. She did nail 6 Aces but with such a low percentage, the WTA circuit can be unforgiving. She has been in a bit of a rust to be honest.

For instance, she was also ousted in the first round during Canadian Open, losing to her long-term Doubles partner Katerina Siniakova. During Prague Open too, she lost in the second round whereas in the prior tournaments, the campaign was being slashed early in on including a third-round exit in Wimbledon. After achieving a rank of number two earlier this year, Krejcikova’s play has left a lot to be desired and she will need to recover her form heading into the Grand Slam.

Anastasia did Qualify for the Cincinnati Masters but lost to an impenetrable Simona Halep in the first round. She can’t be blamed though, for running into a long-time elite star but these are the types of games that she will need to win for boosting her confidence. Potapova’s tendency to commit double-faults was in full display during that game as she committed 10 of them, and these errors are holding her back to reach the next level for sure.

But despite some setbacks, Anastasia is having a solid year. In the Qualifiers of the major tournaments, she has become a top player, and thus when she reaches the main rounds, she does stand a strong chance. Her first serve is “alright” but her second serve still needs a lot of work and at 21, she has a lot of potential to make amends. She is still four spots removed from Top-fifty but the player who was a teenage sensation has aimed high since the beginning of her still fresh WTA career.

Barbora and Anastasia have met twice with each player winning once. They last met in July during the German Open when Anastasia won rather comfortably in two sets.

Barbora hasn’t been in her best form lately and the second half of the year has been rather tough on the Czech player. Anastasia has shown encouraging improvements this year and hasn’t skipped a beat thus far, but consistency on her serve remains a huge problem. Barbora is a much more aggressive player than Anastasia but the latter can develop such a game over time. Will this game mark something special for Anastasia? You know how unpredictable WTA is! Still, I’d back Barbora to avenge her last loss versus Potapova.