Analysis for Kirilenko-Safarova (WTA Seoul)

Head-to-head record 3:0

Maria Kirilenko of Russia will play extinguished Czech star Lucie Safarova in Seoul´s second round. Safarova was considered to be the big talent of women´s tennis and she had a stellar season last year defeating several top players including former World No 1 Justine Henin. She plays left-handed with a two-handed backhand. Her superb timing off the ground allows her to project groundstrokes of effortless power. She is quick to spot opportunities to take the initiative and is able to hit many spectacular winners. Her preferred surface is clay but she has reached the great results on hard courts as well. However, her current season is a kind of nightmare for her. She has the YTD record of 16-18 and she hasn´t collected more than 2 wins in a row with the exception of Forest Hills tournament where she won the whole event and showed the world that she still must be taken into account. Then she surprisingly lost in the first round at US Open but performed well in the first round here again beating British lucky looser Melanie South. Her opponent will be Maria Kirileno who is a better ranked player but her current form is questionable as well. She lost 3 games in a row prior to Seoul tournament and defeated unknown Wienerova in the first round here. She is well known for her technical skills, enabling her to produce a wide array of shots with finesse. She lacks the power possessed by many of her contemporaries and therefore, she relies on low error-rates and good shot selection to keep opponents off-balance. Her game is all about mental condition - she is a very talented player and when she plays in a good mood with confidence, her play is 100% better. All together, we think that Safarova is slowly getting back her lost self-confidence at present but if she keeps her nerves and manages to stay focused on the match, she should be able to prevail in this match. Odds above 2.2 could be taken here.