Kimberly Birrell vs Katie Volynets Prediction, WTA Seoul Quarterfinal Betting Tips

Featured Offer

bet365

Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets

Claim Offer

Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. Time limits and T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org #ad

Five of the top six seeds have made it through to the quarterfinals at WTA Seoul, which tells you the draw has largely played out as expected while still leaving plenty to look forward to. Four matches stand between these players and a place in Saturday’s semifinals, and there are some genuinely interesting contests to get stuck into.

Taylah Preston vs Alina Korneeva

These two have never faced each other before, so there is no head to head record to lean on. Preston is only 20 and already has one of the more impressive results of her young career under her belt this week, having knocked out top seed Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets. Ostapenko was not at her best and gifted plenty of unforced errors, but credit to Preston for staying solid and refusing to be passive. This is just her second quarterfinal at tour level, which is a real marker of her progress.

Korneeva was not at her sharpest in the second round. She was excellent in the first and third sets but had a serious dip in the second that will concern her going into this one. Consistency is going to be the key word for the Russian if she wants to advance. Against a player as raw and unpredictable as Preston, there will be opportunities, but Korneeva cannot afford to switch off mid match the way she did last time out. On balance, she has the higher ceiling and the better tools to win this, but she will need to bring a much cleaner performance.

Lanlana Tararudee vs Maya Joint

Another first meeting between two players who will both feel this is a genuine chance to reach a WTA semifinal. Tararudee got past Park Sohyun in straight sets to set this up, though it was not entirely straightforward. She was 2 to 5 down in the first set tiebreak before reeling off five consecutive points to take it. That kind of mental resilience tells you something about the Thai player. This is already her second tour level quarterfinal of the season, so she is building real momentum.

Joint had a comfortable second round win over Dayeon Back and looked noticeably sharper than she had in her opening match. She is clearly finding her feet as the week goes on, which is exactly what you want to see. That said, Tararudee has been the more consistent performer across this season as a whole, and her ability to dig out tight moments like that tiebreak gives her the edge in a close match. I am backing her to come through this one.

Elena-Gabriela Ruse vs Anna Bondar

Ruse leads their head to head by one win to nil, and she arrives here as the fourth seed having come through a tricky second round against local wild card Ku Yeonwoo. It was not a vintage display by any means, but Ruse has the experience to grind through those kinds of matches, and reaching the quarterfinal is what counts. If she can get sharper as the week goes on, this could turn into a very good run for the Romanian.

Bondar deserves enormous credit for fighting her way to this stage, but the effort it has taken to get here is a real concern. She has played two long, physical matches back to back, and that accumulation of fatigue is hard to shake off at this level. Ruse should be able to exploit that, and with the head to head advantage and the more direct route through the draw, she looks the clear favourite.

Kimberly Birrell vs Katie Volynets

This is the fifth meeting between these two, and they are locked level at 2 wins apiece. Birrell, the second seed, won the most recent encounter on a hard court surface, which is relevant given the conditions here. She has been in fine form this week, reaching the quarterfinal without losing a set, and those wins have been important for her confidence after a prolonged difficult patch of results. Seoul is a tournament she knows well having gone deep here before.

Volynets, though, has been frighteningly efficient this week. Losing only six games across two matches is a remarkable return, and her form over the past couple of months has been genuinely impressive. The American looks like a player hitting her stride at exactly the right moment, and in a match this evenly balanced historically, form in the week itself can be the decisive factor. I am going with Volynets to edge this one.

Featured Offer

bet365

Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets

Claim Offer

Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. Time limits and T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org #ad