Newly crowned Madrid Open champion Kiki Bertens will meet Great Britain’s Johanna Konta in the first semifinal of the Italian Open on Saturday, May 18, at 12 pm local time (11:00 BST). Get Kiki Bertens v Johanna Konta live streaming options, with preview and predictions here.
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Kiki Bertens v Johanna Konta Head to Head
Bertens and Konta have met each other four times in their careers, but three of their meetings have been on WTA tour. Bertens leads 2-1 based on their tour-level meetings winning their recent encounter at Indian Wells in straight sets. This will be their first match on clay.
Bertens’s Form Propels Her to Become Second Favorite in Paris
What a difference a year can make. Kiki Bertens suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Petra Kvitova in an epic final in Madrid over 12 months ago and then was eliminated in the first round in Rome. Things certainly did not look rosy when she was eliminated in third round at the 2018 French Open.
The Dutchwoman fought back valiantly from those disappointments and capped off 2018 with title wins in Korea Open and a Premier-5 crown in Cincinnati where she saved a match-point to beat Simona Halep.
Her 2019 accomplishments have surpassed anything that she has achieved in her career including last year’s title wins. After claiming the indoor title on the hard courts of St. Petersburg post-Australian Open, she recently won the Madrid Open beating three top-10 players en route (Kvitova, Stephens and Halep). In total, she has claimed four top-10 wins this year alone (including Kerber in Stuttgart).
Bertens is in the form of her life right now. She is the highest ranked singles Dutchwoman in the history of WTA, and it is that form which has propelled her to become second favorite to win Roland Garros this year. But will she complete the double heading to Paris? Johanna Konta will have plenty to say about that.
Unseeded Konta Celebrates Birthday With Brilliant Win Over Vondrousova
Johanna Konta celebrated her 28th birthday in style as she ended the fairytale run of Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova in three sets to reach her first semifinal at Foro Italico.
Just a fortnight ago, the unseeded Briton reached her first final in nearly a year in Rabat (losing to Maria Sakkari). She has now reached her biggest semifinal of a WTA tournament since Wimbledon 2017. That run at the All-England club saw Konta rise to as high as World No.4.
Konta’s brilliant run in Rome will guarantee her a seeding spot at the French Open. She is projected to climb up 11 spots to No.31, provisionally rising from her ranking of World No.42.
According to WTAtennis.com, this is officially Johanna Konta’s best season on clay, but will she end it on a high?
Bertens v Konta Predictions & Tips
Bertens is the most in-form player on WTA tour right now. Her form reminds me of Kvitova last year prior to Roland Garros. Although the Czech fared dismally in Paris, Bertens is a different beast on clay. She has one of the best servers in the women’s game and possesses a powerful ground game. Add to the fact that she is a more versatile player with a wider range of shots as compared to Konta, then she has a slight edge here.
Tip: Bertens to win in straight sets: 10/11 (888Sport)
The Bertens v Konta match can be watched live with Unibet here on May 18, 2019. Also, get the latest tennis tips and predictions here.
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