Krunic a number too big for Lisicki?

First she goes overseas in August to prepare for the US Open in Flushing Meadows, which will then start at the end of August. Until then, there are still a few European tournaments on clay. From a German perspective, a look to Hamburg is inevitable this week. The European Open at the Rothenbaum in Hamburg is once again the biggest tournament in Germany, where the men’s and women’s competitions will be played at the same time.

Tournaments on German soil usually offer local players the chance to present themselves to an international audience. In the women’s singles, Sabine Lisicki will be competing alongside a number of talented players. The 32-year-old now wants to try it again after years of qualification and hopes to move up a few places in the WTA rankings in Hamburg.

However, the player from Troisdorf will have to face a very tough opponent in the first round, Aleksandra Krunic from Serbia, who reached the final in Budapest last week.

But there are also facts that speak for the German. After all, she will be supported by the fans in Hamburg and she has already played two qualifying matches at the Rothenbaum. Therefore, you can certainly think about placing a bet on at least one set win for the 32-year-old German between Aleksandra Krunic and Sabine Lisicki

Aleksandra Krunic – Statistics & current form

Current world ranking: 75
Position in the seedings: unseeded

29 years old now, Aleksandra Krunic is safe to say that the Serb has not made a particularly lasting impression on the WTA Tour, at least not from a sporting perspective. In her entire career, she has managed just one tournament win, and that came on grass in Rosmalen, Holland, in June 2018.

To the final in Budapest

In September 2019, the Serb was ranked 35th in the WTA Rankings. To date, that remains her career high. Currently, the 29-year-old is ranked 75th in the world, although the trend is definitely upwards at the moment, as Aleksandra Krunic performed very well last week in Budapest, where she was only beaten in the final by Bernarda Pera from the USA.

Before that, however, she had celebrated five victories in a row. Among others, she beat Laura Siegemund in two sets in the first round. Her success against Yulia Putintseva from Kazakhstan in the semi-finals was also somewhat unexpected. All in all, the Serbian showed her best side in Budapest and did not drop a single set until the final.

In general, Aleksandra Krunic feels very comfortable in Germany. After all, she plays in the Bundesliga for Blau-Weiß Aachen and recently won clearly in two sets against Jule Niemeier in the match against the new champions TC Bredeney. That’s why we’re also looking at the odds for a 2-0 win for the Serb in the Aleksandra Krunic versus Sabine Lisicki duel.

Sabine Lisicki – Statistics & current form

Current world ranking: 487
Position in the seedings: unseeded

Basically, it’s been five years in which Sabine Lisicki has been injured more than she has been on the court. Yet she was once, even more than Angelique Kerber, the German hope for a title at a Grand Slam tournament. After all, the 32-year-old had already reached the Wimbledon final in 2013. At the time, she still had her best years ahead of her.

Strong qualifying

Sometimes, however, she made more private than sporting headlines afterwards, but that is to change now. After tearing her cruciate ligament, the player from Troisdorf has been back on the tennis court since May and she has a clear goal in mind. She wants to play on the big courts once again, preferably of course on the sacred grass of Wimbledon.

After her long break, the German has fallen to 487th in the world rankings. In Hamburg, Sabine Lisicki was at least allowed to compete in the qualifying round, which she successfully survived after defeating Stefanie Vögele from Switzerland and Katerzyna Baindl from Ukraine. Now she at least has a stage again on which she can present herself to a larger audience.

But all in all, one should not expect too much, because clay has never been the best surface for the player from Troisdorf. Moreover, she has only won two matches in a main draw on the WTA Tour since her comeback.

Aleksandra Krunic – Sabine Lisicki Direct comparison / H2H record

Aleksandra Krunic and Sabine Lisicki have been on the WTA Tour for more than ten years. Even though the German, who is three years older, has now been out of action on and off for a long time, there would have been a few occasions over the years when these two ladies could have met. In Hamburg, however, they will face each other for the first time ever on Tuesday.

Aleksandra Krunic – Sabine Lisicki Tip

The road back to the big arenas, which Sabine Lisicki has set as her goal, will be very arduous. After all, she has now made it into the main draw in Hamburg and one or two match wins there would also be very helpful. However, clay is not exactly the 32-year-old’s preferred surface and she still hasn’t regained the confidence in her game.

Moreover, Aleksandra Krunic is an opponent who proved her good form last week when she reached the final in Budapest and therefore has to be considered the favourite on Tuesday at the Rothenbaum.

The experienced German played very well in the qualifying, but probably her opponent in the first round of the main draw will be a completely different number. That’s why we think the local heroine will have a direct bye and have decided to play the betting odds between Aleksandra Krunic and Sabine Lisicki on a 2:0 win for the Serbian.