tennis | Četvrtak, Avgust 4, 2022 7:53 AM (Revised at: Četvrtak, Avgust 4, 2022 5:22 PM)

Thursday Tennis Best Bet: WTA San Jose, Veronika Kudermetova vs Claire Liu

Jon Reid

Veronika Kudermetova vs Claire Liu Best Bet: Thursday, August 4th

For Thursday’s best bet for the WTA, it’s a second-round matchup from San Jose between Veronika Kudermetova and Claire Liu.

The American is looking to pull off yet another upset, after toppling Beatriz Haddad Maia in the opening round of play as an underdog in the 2.62 odds region.

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Veronika Kudermetova vs Claire Liu Preview
Veronika Kudermetova vs Claire Liu Best Bet

Veronika Kudermetova vs Claire Liu Preview

August 4th, Time TBD

This match may not have the marquee appeal of a Coco Gauff vs Naomi Osaka second rounder (also being played on Thursday in San Jose), but it may surprise people in how entertaining it is.

Liu and Kudermetova both have fairly well-rounded games that could produce both long rallies and some dazzling winners.

Just a few years ago, Liu really struggled to keep the ball in play, and was languishing at the ITF level as a result. After having added a fair amount of consistency to her game, her strong first serve and forehand have become all the more effective.

As for the Russian, she possesses strong on-court instincts and constructs points very well. As an elite doubles player, she’s also effective at the net, adding dynamism and variety to her repertoire. Mix in sneaky good pace behind her serve and forehand, and you’ve got a very good tennis player.

Veronika Kudermetova vs Claire Liu Best Bet

While Liu hasn’t accomplished nearly as much as Kudermetova in her career, her added rally tolerance and solid movement make this a closer match than the odds would suggest for me.

The last match between these two in Australia (on quicker courts) on a hard court ended with the Russian winning by five games. Considering San Jose’s courts should allow for Liu to utilise her athleticism, consistency and ability to create angles with her groundstrokes more than their prior matchup, she should be able to close the gap on her counterpart.

I’m going to back the underdog here with a four-game head start.