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Match Details
Fixture: (4) Ekaterina Alexandrova vs (LL) Sara Sorribes Tormo
Date: August 26, 2023
Tournament: Tennis in the Land 2023
Round: Final
Venue: Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Category: WTA 250
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $271,363
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Sara Sorribes Tormo preview
Fourth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova will take on lucky loser Sara Sorribes Tormo in the final of the 2023 Tennis in the Land on Saturday.
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Following a first-round bye, Alexandrova knocked out Aliksandra Sasnovich and Wang Xinyu to reach the semifinals, where Zhu Lin awaited her. The Russian led 4-2 in the first set, but faltered while trying to close out the set at 5-4 as she got broken.
Alexandrova broke back immediately to go 6-5 up and faced no trouble while serving out the set on her second try. She ran away with the second set as she reeled off five games in a row to win the match 7-5, 6-2.
Sorribes Tormo, meanwhile, fell in the qualifying rounds, but the stars were aligned in her favor as she secured a spot in the main draw as a lucky loser. She was on the cusp of victory when Katerina Siniakova retired due to an injury in the first round.
Sorribes Tormo then defeated Veronika Kudermetova and Sloane Stephens to book a semifinal date against Tatjana Maria. She drew first blood in the opening set to go 2-1 up, but her opponent turned the tables on her to lead 4-2.
The momentum swung in Sorribes Tormo's favor once again as she bagged the next four games to take the set. The Spaniard held the edge in the second set as she broke Maria's serve thrice, while losing her own only once, to win the match 6-4, 6-3.
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Sara Sorribes Tormo head-to-head
This will be the first main draw meeting between the two, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Sara Sorribes Tormo odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Sara Sorribes Tormo prediction
Sorribes Tormo has certainly made the most of her second shot this week and a title would cap off the fairytale week perfectly. Alexandrova, on the other hand, has been in pretty decent form all week.
Both players have a tendency to double fault a lot from time to time, though Alexandrova can balance it out with some aces, unlike Sorribes Tormo. The Russian has enough firepower in her groundstrokes to overwhelm her next opponent if she plays some focused tennis.
Sorribes Tormo is no stranger to dealing with big-hitters like Alexandrova. The Spaniard is able to redirect the pace quite well, while breaking the rhythm of the rallies with some moonballs and drop shots. She's also known to make matches extremely physical by extending the points.
Alexandrova will thus be aiming to end the points early to avoid getting into a slugfest with Sorribes Tormo. The Russian is known to be a bundle of nerves occasionally and lets go of her hard earned advantages in a match. If she's able to keep herself steady, she could lay her hands on the winner's trophy.
Pick: Ekaterina Alexandrova to win in three sets.
