Match Details
Fixture: (1) Anett Kontaveit vs Bernarda Pera
Date: July 23, 2022
Tournament: Hamburg European Open
Round: Final
Venue: Hamburg, Germany
Category: WTA 250
Surface: Clay
Match Timing: Not before 1 pm local time / 11 am GMT/ 7 am ET / 4: 30 pm IST
Prize money: $251,750
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Anett Kontaveit vs Bernarda Pera preview
Top seed Anett Kontaveit will take on Bernarda Pera in the final of the Hamburg European Open on Saturday. The Estonian has won 21 out of 30 matches so far this season, winning the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.
She reached the final of the tournament with wins over Jill Teichmann, Sorana Cirstea, Belinda Bencic and Jelena Ostapenko. Here, she faced Maria Sakkari and beat her 5-7, 7-6(4), 7-5 to win the WTA 500 tournament. Kontaveit also reached the final of the Qatar Open but was demolished 6-2, 6-0 by Iga Swiatek.
The Estonian entered the Hamburg European Open as the top seed and started by beating Irina Bara 6-3, 7-6(3). She followed this up with straight-sets wins over Rebecca Peterson (6-3, 6-2), Andrea Petkovic (6-0, 2-0 [retired]) and Anastasia Potapova (6-3, 7-5) to reach her third final of the season.
Pera has won 22 out of 35 matches so far this season with a title to her name at the Budapest Grand Prix last week, which she won without dropping a set. The American had to qualify to reach the main draw of the competition and started by beating Marina Bassols Ribera 6-2, 7-5. She then beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Anna Bondar to reach the final.
Here, Pera was up against Aleksandra Krunic and beat her 6-3, 6-3 to win her maiden WTA singles title.
The 27-year-old then competed at the Hamburg European Open and eliminated reigning champion Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the first round, beating her 6-4, 6-0. She then thrashed Joanne Zuger 6-1, 6-1 before triumphing 6-3, 6-1 over Katerina Siniakova to reach the semifinals. Pera beat seventh seed Maryna Zanevska 6-2, 6-4 to seal her place in the final.
Anett Kontaveit vs Bernarda Pera head-to-head
Kontaveit leads the head-to-head 1-0 against Pera, beating her 7-5, 6-1 in the first round of Wimbledon last month. The Estonian will win her seventh WTA singles title if she wins, while Pera will win her second if she comes out on top on Saturday.
Anett Kontaveit vs Bernarda Pera odds
All odds sourced from Oddschecker.
Anett Kontaveit vs Bernarda Pera prediction
Kontaveit will enter the match as the favorite to win as she looks to rediscover her form. However, Pera should not be written off and comes into the Hamburg final on a 10-match winning streak (including qualifying wins). Kontaveit has a record of 6-3 on the surface in 2022.
The Estonian will look to be aggressive from the start of the match and put pressure on Pera. Kontaveit is a big hitter but will also look to disrupt the pace of points by trying to use her slices and drop shots effectively.
The American also likes to play an aggressive brand of tennis and will look to hit Kontaveit out of the court. Pera has been in good form lately and can put up a tough fight. However, Kontaveit should be able to get the better of her and win her second title of the season.
Pick: Kontaveit to win in straight sets.