Emma Raducanu will face Daria Kasatkina in the 2024 Korea Open quarter-final, hoping to fare much better than the last time these two faced each other.
The last time they played against each other was earlier this year at the Eastbourne International, and Kasatkina won that match comfortably. It wasn't a very good performance by Raducanu, but she's playing on a better level right now and certainly will fancy her chances.
There should be no doubt that Raducanu is motivated after winning two matches at the WTA 500 event in Seoul, and getting to a semi-final would be only a bonus. Kasatkina is not an easy player to play against, especially not in conditions like those in Korea, where the ball bounces as high as it does.
That gives her a chance to extend rallies the way she likes to do and also unleash from her forehand, which has been a signature weapon for her most of the time. That's how she bested the Brit the last time they played.
She just outplayed her from the baseline, with her opponent failing to find any solutions. That's generally the way to beat Raducanu, and Kasatkina just happens to be an expert in playing the style that the 2021 US Open champion doesn't necessarily like to play against.
Head-to-head:
Raducanu and Kasatkina have played two times so far, and both times, Kasatkina won. The first time was in 2022 in Ostrava indoors, and Kasatkina won 7-5, 6-4. The second match came earlier this year at the Eastbourne International on grass, and Kasatkina once again won 6-2, 6-2.
In Eastbourne, she just outplayed Raducanu in very windy conditions, which made it very hard for the Brit to find any kind of rhythm. It's a tricky matchup for the British player because Kasatkina counters what Raducanu does well.
She can absorb a lot of power from the baseline, and she's infinitely more patient in most rallies compared to the British player. However, the Russian can also be very streaky, so most of the time, it just depends on how well she plays.
If she's having her day, she can give Raducanu lots of trouble, but if she doesn't play a good match, she can certainly get beaten by the British player.
| Emma Raducanu | Daria Kasatkina | |
| 0 | H2H | 2 |
| 70 | Rank | 13 |
| 21 | Age | 27 |
| 20-12 | 2024 W/L | 31-18 |
| 118-61 | Career W/L | 375-212 |
Prediction:
While Raducanu has shown lots of promise so far in Korea, she might not be able to handle the conditions as well as she needs to against Kasatkina. The Russian should be able to handle Raducanu's power well and just trouble her enough to bait enough errors from her.
It might be a match that might go on for a while, and in those conditions, Kasatkina should handle it better. Raducanu could win, but the Russian, who is the top seed in Seoul, should have a slight edge in this matchup.
Prediction: Daria Kasatkina to win in three sets.
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