Madrid Open 2023: Iga Swiatek vs Veronika Kudermetova preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

By Bhargav

Modified May 04, 2023 08:19 GMT

Swiatek (left) takes on Kudermetova on Thursday.

Fixture: (1) Iga Swiatek vs (12) Veronika Kudermetova

Date: Thursday, May 4, 2023

Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open 2023

Round: Semifinal

Venue: Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Outdoor clay

Prize money: €7,652,174

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

Iga Swiatek vs Veronika Kudermetova preview

Top seed Iga Swiatek takes on 12th seed Veronika Kudermetova on Thursday as a place in the Madrid Open final beckons.

World No. 1 Swiatek put in a dominating performance against Croatian Petra Martic, dropping only three games to reach her first Madrid semifinal. The Pole won the first seven games before Martic got on the board.

In a slightly competitive second set, Swiatek dropped three games to book her place in the last four. The 21-year-old blasted 11 winners and leaked eight unforced errors. She converted all four of her break points and saved the lone break point on serve in the lopsided 69-minute contest.

Having won the title in Stuttgart last week, Swiatek is now 8-0 on clay this season and 19-2 in WTA quarterfinal matches. The opening set against Martic was her seventh bagel set of the season as she improved to 24-4 in 2023.

Meanwhile, the 13th-ranked Kudermetova took a more circuitous route to the last four, beating third seed Jessica Pegula in three sets, which included conceding a second set bagel.

Having entered Madrid on a four-match losing streak, the Russian has now won four straight matches - all in three sets - to improve to 14-9 on the season. The only other player to reach the Madrid last four after dropping a set in four straight matches is 2016 runner-up Dominika Cibulkova.

However, in her first WTA1000 semifinal, Kudermetova will have her task cut out against a player who has been perfect on clay this season.

Iga Swiatek vs Veronika Kudermetova head-to-head

Swiatek has won all three previous matches against Kudermetova. In their last meeting in the Qatar semifinals this year, the Pole dropped only one game.

Iga Swiatek vs Veronika Kudermetova odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over/under)
Iga Swiatek	-1600	-1.5 (-375)	Over 18.5 (-105)
Veronika Kudermetova	+850	+1.5 (+250)	Under 18.5 (-135)

(All odds as per BETMGM)

Iga Swiatek vs Veronika Kudermetova prediction

Kudermetova is into her first WTA1000 semifinal.

Both Swiatek and Kudermetova like to dominate opponents from the baseline, but the Pole takes the edge because of her superior consistency, and more importantly, pedigree on clay.

The 13-time singles title winner is a monster on clay - with her powerful groundstrokes and elite movement being more than a match for most of the top players. Kudermetova, meanwhile, has more modest attributes.

Moreover, Swiatek absolutely 'owns' her rivalry with Kudermetova, dropping just eight games in three matches, including two bagel sets. They haven't met on clay yet, but expect the Pole to put in another swashbuckling performance to reach the title match.

Pick: Swiatek in straight sets

Edited by Arshit Garg