Linz 2021: Simona Halep vs Jasmine Paolini preview, head-to-head & prediction | Upper Austria Ladies

Match details

Fixture: (2) Simona Halep vs (7) Jasmine Paolini

Date: 10 November 2021

Tournament: Upper Austria Ladies Linz

Round: Quarterfinals

Venue: Linz, Austria

Category: WTA 250

Surface: Indoor hardcourt

Prize money: $235,238

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video

Simona Halep vs Jasmine Paolini preview

Second seed Simona Halep will lock horns with Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals of the WTA 250 event in Linz on Wednesday. While Paolini overcame Saisai Zheng 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, Halep battled past Aliaksandra Sasnovich 7-5, 6-3 to make the last eight.

Halep is looking to end her season on a positive note after a calf injury sidelined her from the sport for close to three months. The Romanian was forced to skip Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and as a result fell out of the top 10 for the first time since 2014.

Upon returning to the tour, Halep reached the fourth round of the US Open before advancing to her maiden final of the year in Cluj. She will now be bidding for her 23rd career title this week in Linz.

Jasmine Paolini at the 2021 US Open BNP Paribas Open - Day 5

Jasmine Paolini, meanwhile, has swiftly made her way up the rankings this year. After a mediocre start to the season, the Italian reached the final at 125K events in France and Croatia, winning the title in the latter.

The 25-year-old then lifted her maiden WTA title in Portoroz, Slovenia in September. Her strong run of results propelled her to a career-high ranking of No. 51.

Simona Halep vs Jasmine Paolini head-to-head

The only previous meeting between Simona Halep and Jasmine Paolini took place in 2020 in Rome, where Halep won in straight sets. Hence, the head-to-head currently stands at 1-0 in favor of the Romanian.

Simona Halep vs Jasmine Paolini prediction

Simona Halep at the 2021 BNP Paribas Open

Simona Halep and Jasmine Paolini are both baseliners who are extremely quick around the court. Neither player possesses a very powerful serve, but Halep does have the ability to fire a few aces due to the precision on her delivery. Against Sasnovich, she racked up six aces and dropped her serve just twice.

She is also much more solid from the back of the court than Paolini. If the two-time Grand Slam champion can stay focused and play at a decent level, she should be able to come out on top against the Italian.

Prediction: Simona Halep to win in straight sets.