Match Details
Fixture: Kateryna Baindl vs (LL) Maria Timofeeva
Date: July 23, 2023
Tournament: Hungarian Grand Prix 2023
Round: Final
Venue: Budapest, Hungary
Category: WTA 250
Surface: Clay
Prize money: $642,735
Live telecast: USA: Tennis Channel | UK: Amazon Prime Video | Australia: beIN Sports
Kateryna Baindl vs Maria Timofeeva preview
Kateryna Baindl will be up against Maria Timofeeva in the final of the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, July 23.
The Ukrainian entered the WTA 250 event unseeded and started with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Nathalie Zabanin in the opening round. She then defeated local girl Amarissa Toth 6-3, 6-1 to book her place in the quarterfinals.
Baindl took on another Hungarian in Fanny Stollar and beat her 7-6(5), 6-3 to set up a semifinal clash against Claire Liu. Both players exchanged a few breaks during the opening set before the Ukrainian won it 7-5 to take the lead in the match.
Liu took a 3-1 lead in the second set but Baindl did well to take it to a tiebreak, which she eventually won 7-3 to book her place in the final of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Maria Timofeeva entered the main draw of the WTA 250 tournament as a lucky loser and started by coming back from a set down to beat Daria Saville 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. The Russian then registered a comprehensive 6-1, 6-1 win over Daria Shnaider to reach the quarterfinals.
She then ousted Kaja Juvan to set up a semifinal against ninth-seed Nadia Podoroska.
Timofeeva won a tight opening set via a tiebreak but the Argentine bounced back to take the second 6-3 to force the match into a decider. The 19-year-old regrouped in the final set and won it 6-3 to reach her maiden WTA singles final.
Kateryna Baindl vs Maria Timofeeva head-to-head
The head-to-head between the two currently stands at 0-0 as they haven't locked horns before.
Kateryna Baindl vs Maria Timofeeva odds
All odds are sourced from Oddschecker.
Kateryna Baindl vs Maria Timofeeva prediction
Kateryna Baindl's higher ranking makes her a heavy favorite to win this match but Maria Timofeeva will be in good spirits after her run to the final.
Baindl's serve hasn't really been her strongest suit so far, winning only 58 percent of points on her first serve (132 out of 228) in Budapest. Her second serve has been underwhelming as she has won only 23 points out of 61.
Timofeeva has won 143 out of 240 points on her first serve while claiming 57 out of 110 on her second serve. The Russian's return game needs to be effective if she is to come out on top on Sunday.
However, Baindl's experience might just about see her win the title.
Pick: Baindl to win in three sets.