Limoges Challenger Prediction: Anhelina Kalinina vs Cristina Bucsa
06:00 AM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Anhelina Kalinina +127 / Cristina Bucsa -188
Anhelina Kalinina vs Cristina Bucsa Preview
Anhelina Kalinina continued her impressive run this week with a three-set win over fifth seed Alycia Parks to reach the Limoges semifinal. The match against the American big server took 28 games to decide and lasted precisely two hours.
Kalinina won the first set 7-5 with a late break in the 11th game. Although Parks dominated the second set, breaking Kalinina twice and wrapping up the set 6-1 in under half an hour, the Ukrainian regrouped and produced a stirring fightback in the third set. She broke Park in the second game and kept consolidating that advantage before she saw out the match. This is Kalinina’s first semifinal since the opening week of the season in Brisbane.
Cristina Bucsa has lived up to the billing as the tournament’s top seed. The 2023 Limoges champion topped Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic in straight sets in a comprehensive victory. Bucsa dropped just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 scoreline that took 54 minutes to complete.
In the victory, Bucsa hit 2 aces and landed 73% of first serves in play. She won 86% of first serve points (19/22) and 75% of second serve points (6/8). Bucsa did not face a single break point in the match. Bucsa has not lost a set this week and will bid to reach her second final in a row (lost to Mboko in Hong Kong in her last event of the WTA season).
Anhelina Kalinina vs Cristina Bucsa Head-To-Head
Kalinina and Bucsa have never met before this.
Anhelina Kalinina vs Cristina Bucsa Prediction
This will be a clash of two former champions. Kalinina won in Limoges three years ago before Bucsa succeeded her the following season. Kalinina is still in the early stages of her comeback, but she’s had a phenomenal week, ousting Sonay Kartal and Alycia Parks, who are both top 100 players. The same can be said of Bucsa, who has been flawless but hardly faced established tour-level players. I’m rolling with Kalinina plus money. Considering this is her first tournament in six months, she’s overachieved and she doesn’t look like a player lacking any rhythm so far.