Flavia Pennetta and Agnieszka Radwanska will know if they still have a shot at reaching the semi-finals at the WTA Finals in Singapore facing one another. Simona Halep faces Maria Sharapova. Who are the favorites? Our preview and predictions for Tuesday in Singapore.
(5) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) vs. (7) Flavia Pennetta (ITA)
Radwanska leads 6-3
Only one between Agnieszka Radwanska and Flavia Pennetta will still be hoping to reach the semi-finals stage at the WTA Finals in Singapore this year. Whoever loses, is most likely to be out of the tournament. The Italian, more than the Polish, has her very last chance to dream of a semi-final appearance, considering how she only won 3 games against Simona Halep, whilst Radwanska battled for three sets against Maria Sharapova.
The two players are going to be facing one another for the 9th time on the WTA tour. Considering how Pennetta is playing her very last career tournament, it could also be the last.
Agnieszka leads the head-2-head stat with 5 wins to 3. The Pole won the very last match played between the two, or we should better say dominated the encounter, as she beat Pennetta 6-1 6-1 in Doha in February.
Here are some highlights of the perfect match played by Radwanska in Doha this year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xegGdYXBTFc
The match before that was also dominated, but this time by Flavia Pennetta, who beat an injured Radwanska 6-2 6-1 in the 2014 Indian Wells final, few weeks after having dominated Agnieszka in straight sets in Dubai.
Consider the current state of form, Radwanska takes the favorite status. The Pole surprisingly lost against a returning Sharapova in three sets the other day and thus will be much more focused stepping on court knowing her chances depend on the match she plays against the Italian.
Radwanska played confident tennis in the last part of the season, finishing with two titles. Pennetta on the other hand, struggled all along after the US Open triumph, going as low as losing to World No 414 in Tianjin, a tournament Radwanska ended up winning.
Seeing how the two debuted in Singapore, Agnieszka should take the win and let Flavia Pennetta have her very last WTA career match against Sharapova.
Final Prediction: Agnieszka Radwanska wins in 3 sets
(1) Simona Halep (ROU) vs. (3) Maria Sharapova (RUS)
Sharapova leads 5-0
Simona Halep has never beaten Maria Sharapova on a tennis court yet. Five matches, five losses for the Romanian, who lost one of the most important matches of her career against the Russian: the French Open 2014 final, her maiden Grand Slam finals appearance.
Maria’s aggression and proactive initiative doesn’t let Simona play the game she likes of constructing the point and pushing the rallies long, trying to wear out her opposition. Despite all the victories, Maria has never had an easy time on court against Halep.
All the three matches the two played in 2014 went to 3 sets, including the very last clash that was staged in Cincinnati, where the Russian won 3-6 6-4 6-4.
Here are the highlights of the last match played by the two in Cincinnati:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR-eQLDlQ5g
One thing Halep has learned to work on in the past year on the tour has been her aggression and the ability to take the ball early looking for the winner more often. Playing more aggressive, the Romanian has gained deeper positioning on the court and doesn’t always need to play marathons to win matches. Also, Simona has learned how to deal with the pressure of being the favorite at tournaments, using enough pressure and nerves to stay focused without ever feeling overwhelmed.
On the other hand, Sharapova was the first to be surprised by herself when she beat Agnieszka Radwanska in three sets on her debut match in Singapore, playing in her very first full match since losing in the semi-finals at Wimbledon. Maria showed she didn’t come to Singapore for a catwalk, but because she felt she could still have a shot at the title, also considering the not-so-strong field of participants.
This could be a tough match, but I see Halep taking her first win against Sharapova.
Final Prediction: Simona Halep wins in 3 sets