World number 21 Elise Mertens will be up against Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in the 2020 Linz Open semifinal on Saturday, November 14, with the match likely to begin at around 2:30 pm local time (8:30 am Eastern Time). Get the live streaming options of this Elise Mertens v Ekaterina Alexandrova match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Elise Mertens v Ekaterina Alexandrova Head to Head
There have been two previous matches between Mertens and Alexandrova and both players have won one apiece. The first came in 2017 at the Bundesliga tennis for women, an exhibition competition and Mertens had won that one on clay. Alexandrova’s victory came on the tour last year when they faced off on the grass of Hertogenbosch.
Also Read:
Mertens Routs Kudermetova to Prevent All-Russian Semis
An in-form Mertens wasted no time in getting past Veronika Kudermetova, despite dropping her serve in her very first service game. Down 3-0 in the opening set, Mertens rallied back to win the next five games in a row which two breaks of serve before serving it out in the 10th game.
The second set was more straightforward. Mertens broke Kudermetova in the very first game and then doubled her advantage in the fifth to take a 4-1 lead. With the Russian’s morale shattered, she failed to hold on to her serve as she served to stay in the match at 1-5.
The straightforward nature of the win would have come as bit of a relief for Mertens, who had earlier been stretched to three sets in both her previous matches.
In her opening round, Mertens needed to come back from a set down to defeat Anhelina Kalinina while then defeating Russian veteran Vera Zvonareva in the second round, also in three sets.
And she now faces her third successive Russian opponent and by far the toughest for a place in the final.
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Alexandrova Makes it Three in a Row
Alexandrova started the year on a winning note and by the looks of things she could well end it on one. Having won the Shenzhen Open title, the first ever competition she had participated in this season, Alexandrova then proceeded to have an ordinary rest of the year but her form looks to have picked up in this tournament.
She has won all the three rounds she has played in, in straight sets, with her latest victim being the player everyone’s raving about, Nadia Podoroska. In fact such has been her rhythm, Alexandrova was at her clinical best in routing her Argentine opponent, winning 6-2, 6-1 in the quarterfinal.
Podoroska lasted a mere 58 minutes on court, getting blown away by a whopping four breaks in return for just forcing her opponent to defend a mere couple of break-points.
Earlier in the tournament, the Russian had got past Katerina Siniakova and Varvara Gracheva without breaking into much of a sweat either.
Mertens v Alexandrova Prediction and Tip
While she might not be the favourite here, we reckon Alexandrova could make things extremely difficult for her higher-ranked opponent. Can she win it though? We think Alexnadrova could make it in three.
Tip: Alexandrova to win: 1/1 (bet365)
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The 2020 Linz Open will be played from November 9 to November 15. You can watch & bet on the Linz Open here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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