The quarterfinal of the 2019 Italian Open will feature World No. 1 Naomi Osaka against World No. 4 Kiki Bertens, on Friday, May 17. The match will take place in the Centre Court at 12:00 pm local time (11:00 am BST). Get Naomi Osaka v Kiki Bertens live streaming options here.
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Naomi Osaka v Kiki Bertens Head to Head
The heat to head tally between the two players is tied at 1-1, with Bertens winning their last encounter. They met in the WTA Finals last year where the Dutch won her robin round fixture against Osaka in straight sets.
Osaka Retains her No. 1 Ranking
Surviving what can truly be described as a manic Thursday in Rome, Naomi Osaka successfully managed to retain her No. 1 ranking by reaching the quarterfinal. She had a hectic day, to say the least, facing the likes of Dominika Cibulkova and Mihaela Buzarnescu back to back within a very short period of time.
But the 21-year-old, who is soaring high on energy and momentum right now, delivered a brilliant performance. She defeated the two experienced players with a 6-3, 6-3 scoreline as if she had all the time in the world to rest between the two matches.
Meanwhile, the likes of Venus Williams, Petra Kvitova, and Ashleigh Barty fell in the final hurdle.
Osaka was a quarterfinalist in Madrid as well, where she eventually succumbed to Belinda Bencic. She was also a semifinalist in Stuttgart and so far, her French Open preparations have gone pretty much according to the plan for her.
The current Australian Open champion has been in good spirits of late and is certainly playing some quality tennis. She has been more or less clinical in her performance, especially in Madrid.
Bertens Continues to Soar on Clay
After winning the Madrid Open last week where she defeated Halep in the final, Bertens is back with yet another edition of flawless play on clay. Just like Osaka, she too played twice on Thursday in the WTA Rome but had relatively trickier fixtures.
She first defeated Amanda Anisimova in three sets and then survived Carla Suarez Navarro, whom she dispatched with 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. Both of her games lasted for well over an hour and 30 minutes, with the Anisimova fixture lasting for up to two hours.
Having defeated some big names over the course of the last couple of weeks on the WTA Tour, fatigue may be creeping in for Bertens but she is determined to fly higher. Following her big win last week, she broke into the top five – her best ranking yet, and by the looks of it, she can crack the top three.
Bertens won the St. Petersburg Open earlier this year and is undoubtedly one of the most consistent players on the tour right now.
Naomi Osaka v Kiki Bertens Predictions & Tips
It has been established by now that Bertens is a clay specialist. She has been ruthless on this surface and Osaka, aware of this threat, has a tough game ahead of her. As for Bertens, she has already defeated three top 10 players over the course of last 10 days and Osaka may very well join that list.
If fatigue doesn’t become an issue here, then we are in for a thrilling match!
Tip: Over 21.5 games in the match: 17/20 (888Sport)
The Osaka v Bertens match can be watched live with Unibet here on May 16, 2019. Also, get the latest tennis tips and predictions here.
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