The quarter-final action at the 2023 Hamburg Open will see Martina Trevisan take on Noma Noha Akugoe and Bernarda Pera play Diana Shnaider, the world number 101. Get the latest predictions along with the odds, preview and head to head for these matches along with Daria Saville v Jule Niemeier and Arantxa Rus v Eva Lys.
Martina Trevisan v Noma Noha Akugoe Preview
Head-to-Head: The pair have never played each other before. This will be the first match between the 29 year old Italian and the German, who is a decade younger.
Trevisan is looking to add her second WTA title to the one that she won in Rabat last year. So far her progress in Hamburg can best be described as serene, starting with her first round victory over the American Elvina Kalieva, taking her just an hour to beat the world number 173 for the loss of just one game.
And then she dominated the number eight seed Camila Osorio, beating the number eight seed from Colombia in straight sets without being unduly troubled.
So far, this week has exceeded all expectations for Akugoe, who made her main tour debut after being given a wildcard in Hamburg, celebrating the fact by beating Laura Pegossi of Italy, ranked 65 places higher than her in the world., in straight sets.
Next up was the Australian Storm Hunter, who had caused a major upset by knocking out the top seed Donna Vekic in the first round. When she won the first set to love, Hunter appeared in total control, but Akugoe recovered, won the second set and then, breaking at the start of the third set, consolidated her advantage to book her quarter-final place.
Just being in the last eight is an unexpected outcome for Akugoe but Trevisan is a step up in terms of calibre of opponent, and the Italian will begin the heavy favourite.
Trevisan v Akugoe Tip:
Trevisan to win: 2/7
Bernarda Pera v Diana Shnaider Preview
Head-to-Head: The pair have never played each other before.
Pera won this event last year, her second consecutive success after claiming the Hungarian Open. And she is favourite to do so again as the highest ranked player left in the tournament.
Not that it has been all plain sailing for the American, who was taken to three sets in the fierst round by the Turkish qualifier Zeynep Sonmez, the world number 201, before finally prevailing.
And, in her next match against the Estonian veteran Kai Kanepi, she was forced to go to a tie-break to win the first set, before her opponent ran out of steam in the second.
Although Shnaider enjoyed Grand Slam success as a junior, and made her senior Australian debut earlier this year, she is still inexperienced at senior WTA level, and this will be her first quarter-final.
She battled through the first round beating the qualifier Polina Kudermetova in a three set match that saw fortunes fluctuate first one way and then the other.
And then she had one of the best results of her career so far, defeating the number five seed, Julia Grabher of Austria, in straight sets.
Although Pera’s defence of her title has not been straightforward so far, she should be able to lean into her experience to defeat her teenage opponent.
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Pera v Shnaider Tip:
Pera to win: 13/17
Daria Saville v Jule Niemeier Preview
Head-to-Head: The pair have never played each other before.
Saville has only recently returned to the tour after the ACL injury that she suffered at the Washington Open last year. This will be her first quarter-final since then, and she has done it the hard way by coming through qualifying.
She made a fine start by beating Jasmine Paolini of Italy, the fourth seed and the beaten finalist in Palermo last week, in straight sets.
And then she beat another higher ranked opponent in the form of Tamara korpatsch of Germany, the world number 100, getting the better of her in a first set tie-break, before easing to victory in the second.
Niemeier probably now represents Germany’s best hope of having a representative in the final in Hamburg, having been given a wildcard into the event.
She faced another wildcard in the first round in the form of compatriot Ella Seidel, who made her work for her victory by taking the second set of their match before Niemeier found a second wind in the third.
The German then found herself a set and a break down to her second round opponent, Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan. But she rallied to level the match, and then dominated the third set to book her last eight spot.
Whilst Niemeier has not been totally convincing this week, she is ranked 119 places higher than her opponent, and, with the German crowd behind her, will be eyeing a place in the semi-finals.
Saville v Niemeir Tip
Niemeier to win: 1/3
Arantxa Rus v Eva Lys Preview
Head-to-Head: They have met once before, and that was earlier this month in an ITF event in France, Rus winning in straight sets.
Rus, the Dutch number one, has been in good form on the ITF tour this year, reaching three finals and winning two of them on clay.
And now she has fulfilled some of that potential on the senior tour by justifying her number seven seeding in Hamburg.
Not that she has made it easy for herself, needing three sets to get past Maria Timofeeva, the world number 129, in the first round.
She then found herself embroiled in another three set battle with the Argentine Nadia Podoroska, and again she dropped the second set, and survived an early break in tne third before finally clinching the win.
For the German crowd the fact that Lys ranked 167th in the world, has reached the quarter-finals in Hamburg is an achievement in itself.
But it is how she has got there that has impressed even more. She began by completely outplaying the second seed, Mayar Sherif, allowing the Egyptian just one game in each of the sets of their match.
And then in her second round match with Panna Udvardy of Hungary, the world number 96, she twice recovered from going a break down to claim the first set.
Two breaks of serve earned her the second set, and the match which she largely dominated.
Whilst her superior world ranking makes Rus the favourite, Lys has already shown this week that she is no respecter of reputations, and her challenge needs to be taken seriously.
Rus v Lys Tip:
Rus to win: 6/7
The 2023 Hamburg Open will be played from July 24 to 30. Get our ultimate guide on tennis betting and predictions here.
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