Daria Kasatkina vs Beatriz Haddad Maia - Korea Open Seoul Tennis Prediction and Pick 9/22/24

Daria Kasatkina reached her fifth final of 2024 at the Korea Open in Seoul. The Russian was required to win two matches on Saturday following Friday's postponement of quarterfinal matches due to rain. In the last eight, Kasatkina earned a retirement win over the injured Emma Raducanu after clinching the first set 6-1.

With a lot of energy to spare, Kasatkina got the better of countrywoman Diana Shnaider, who had earlier on defeated Marta Kostyuk but appeared to be hampered by a back injury in the semifinal. In the victory over Shnaider, Kasatkina won just about half of her serve points on both first and second serves (hardly good numbers) and converted seven of 11 break points.

Beatriz Haddad Maia, meanwhile, defeated the two Kudermetova sisters on the same day to reach her second final at this tournament (lost 2017 final to Jelena Ostapenko).

Haddad Maia first beat the younger and less experienced Polina Kudermetova for the loss of three games in the quarterfinal and then took care of the more accomplished Veronika Kudermetova in a tight 6-4, 6-4 win in the semis.

Daria Kasatkina vs Beatriz Haddad Maia Head-To-Head

• Haddad Maia leads Kasatkina 2-1 in their head-to-head although it is the Russian World No. 13 who won their most recent meeting at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open.

Daria Kasatkina vs Beatriz Haddad Maia Prediction

Both players were efficient in winning two matches on the same day on Saturday and should have a lot of energy for this final at the 2024 Korea Open. Kasatkina appears to be the favorite by dint of ranking and her form this season. She was able to address her poor finals record in Eastbourne when she won her first title in two years. Haddad Maia will certainly get plenty of reward with her aggressive return as Kasatkina is not the most powerful or effective server. Still, I think the Russian has a lot of guile and variation in her game to mask that weakness and win her eighth career title.