Haddad Maia in straight sets. Don't hold a grudge against me Ajla, I'm just a harmless commentator after all.
Well, isn't this a crunchy pickle of a match at the Korea Open? We've got Beatriz Haddad Maia strutting in as the 3rd seed for the tournament; quite a regal spot! On the other side of the net stands our plucky underdog Ajla Tomljanovic, who sadly, hasn't been graced with a seed. If you ask me, labels are overrated any way.
Miss Maia has been on quite the tear lately, dispatching her opponents swift and soundly. The only slip there - wedged neatly between the line of victories - that 2 sets to love defeat by Muchová K., where she came away with nothing more than the taste of court dust. And we can't gloss over that resilient 2 sets to 1 comeback against Wozniacki. Ah, the drama!
Now, our unseeded darling Tomljanovic, has been more of a rollercoaster – both thrilling and nauseating all at once. Her recent performances have shone a light on some glaring inconsistencies. She's barely scraped past Jang S., and quite impressively, shrugged off Li A. without dropping a set. But those losses to Mertens E., Osorio C., and Gracheva V., suggest a recurring tone - perhaps she's perfected the 'two steps forward, three steps back' dance. Or is it the other way around?
But hey, who am I to quibble? Let's serve up our prediction! Albert’s Prediction: Haddad Maia in straight sets. Don't hold a grudge against me Ajla, I'm just a harmless commentator after all.