Kudermetova to reach second semifinal on the bounce?

Veronika Kudermetova vs. Qinwen Zheng @ 10:15 a.m. ET DAZN, TSN2, TVA Sports, Tennis Channel

After a slow start to the year that saw her fail to progress beyond the second round in Dubai, Stuttgart and the Charleston Open, Veronika Kudermetova has hit a rich vein of form in recent matches.

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The 26 year old powered into the semi final of the Mutua Madrid open, beating 8th seed Daria Kasatkina and 3rd seed Jessica Pegula along the way. The challenge of World No. 1 Iga Switek proved too big an ask however, when Kudermetova lost 6-1, 6-1 and was denied the chance of a first major final this year.

The Russian has continued that uptrend with a run to the quarterfinals in Rome, seeing off Marie Bouzková in straight sets in the last round in the Italian capital.

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This afternoon Kudermetova will line up against World No. 22 Qinwen Zheng, who’s arriving in her first quarter final matchup since a run to the semis at the Abu Dhabi Open back in February.

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20 year old Zheng boast the second-highest first serve win-rate in 2023, but her journey to this morning tie hasn't been an easy one - needing tie breaks to overcome Anna Bondar and Alize Cornet before a three set win over compariot Wang Xiyu in the Round of 16.

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The Programme Pick: Kudermetova in straight sets (+200)

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Ana Bogdan vs. Deborah Chiesa @ 10:15 a.m. ET DAZN, TVA Sports, Tennis Channel

The inaugural Firenze Ladies Open is underway in Tuscany this week, with the final of this WTA 125 tournament being held on Sunday May 21.

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No. 3 seed Ana Bogdan of Romania is in action this morning in a Round of 32 matchup against Italy’s Deborah Chiesa.

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Bogdan’s best performance this year came at the Dubai Tennis Championships back in February when she came through the qualifiers to reach the Round of 16.

But since then the 30 year old has struggled for form, with second round eliminations at both the Mutua Madrid Open and last week’s Internazionali BNL D'Italia in Rome.

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Chiesa will have the home crowd behind her at the Match Ball Firenze Country Club, and although the 26 year old has previously enjoyed a career high ranking of world No. 143, Ana Bogdan should have more than enough experience to ground out a win in Florence this afternoon.

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The Programme Pick: Anna Bogdan to win the first point of her first service game (-150)

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TV Guide

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