Football 
Horse Racing 
Mixed martial arts Tuesday Tennis Best Bet: WTA Madrid, Linda Fruhvirtova vs Katie Volynets
Linda Fruhvirtova vs Katie Volynets Best Bet: Tuesday, April 25th
Lovely stuff from Kamilla Rakhimova, who gets it done and covers the steep handicap. As expected, one relatively close set and one lopsided set was the recipe for success. It wasn’t easy, as she did blow a match point on serve at 5-1 in the second set and had to get it done on return, but a win is a win, and the lead was not blown. I’ll take those all day.
Onto Tuesday, where qualifying wraps up and the women’s main draw actually gets underway. For our preview, I want to take a look at the first-round matchup between Linda Fruhvirtova and Katie Volynets.
In this article:
Linda Fruhvirtova vs Katie Volynets Preview
April 25th, 16:30 (UK Time)
Great chance for the young Czech to get back on track here in Madrid, taking on Volynets in her opening round tilt.
Much like many Americans, Volynets isn’t the most natural clay courter out there. In a matchup of two incredibly solid baseliners that make a lot of balls, Volynets is going to have to contend with someone that employs a very similar style, but is a much more natural mover on the surface and who is much more used to the higher bounce and topspin-heavy style that is rewarded on red clay.
As much as Fruhvirtova has struggled in 2023, it was no surprise to those of us that watch daily that at her age and with her serve (or lack thereof), she was always going to struggle at this stage of her career on quicker courts.
Now back on the dirt, I think we’re seeing an undervaluation of the teenage phenom thanks to struggles that happened in entirely different environments.
Now, if Volynets had a big serve and weapons from the baseline in the elevated conditions on offer in Madrid, I may be singing a different tune.
Unfortunately for her, that isn’t the case and there isn’t much she does a whole lot better than Fruhvirtova, while not being nearly as comfortable on clay courts.
Linda Fruhvirtova vs Katie Volynets Best Bet
I think the recent struggles for Fruhvirtova on hard courts and in quicker conditions on clay (conditions will be quicker here as well – luckily she isn’t playing someone who can exploit that as much this go around) have seen Fruhvirtova become relatively undervalued in this one.
She’s still one of the better young players in women’s tennis and she’s now back onto the red clay where she’s always been at her best. While there is altitude to contend with, she won’t be dealing with the lower-bouncing courts that puzzled her in Stuttgart or the quicker clay that can rush her underpowered, defensive game in Charleston.
Finally, Volynets isn’t nearly as natural on the surface and doesn’t possess the weapons to really take advantage of her primary weakness (the serve). I think Fruhvirtova is more talented, and much better on the surface. Give me the undervalued top prospect on her best surface here as a really cheap favourite.
- Selection: L. Fruhvirtova to win
- Best Odds: 1.74 (Pinnacle)
- Stakes: 4/10
Odds as at 12:00 am on April 19th, 2023. Odds may now differ.
More Linda Fruhvirtova vs Katie Volynets Tips
