The BNP Paribas Open: Shahar Peer vs. Yanina Wickmayer — Quarter-final preview
World number 12 Shahar Peer of Israel will square off against the 25th ranked Belgian, Yanina Wickmayer in the quarter-final of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California on Wednesday night. A tough competition
is anticipated among the two competitors as they are both in excellent form.
Seeded 10th here, Peer made it to the round of eight by defeating the world number five Francesca Schiavone of Italy in a tough battle, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(3). Wickmayer met the Israeli opponent in the quarter-final after
defeating the 25th seeded Slovak, Dominika Cibulkova in straight sets 7-5, 7-5, in the fourth round of the tournament.
Both players have a head-to-head record of 2-2 in their prior meetings. Wickmayer was victorious against the Israeli in their first two meetings in 2009 and 2010. The last two encounters were won by Peer, where she defeated the
Belgian at the Dubai International Championships in 2010 and 2011. These last two victories over the Belgian will certainly boost up the confidence of Peer and she will be stepping in the quarter-final with a positive frame of mind.
Peer’s start to the current Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) season was not much impressive. She was ejected early in the second rounds at Brisbane International and Medibank International Sydney. The Israeli took part in the Australian
Open as the 10th seed and won her initial round matches against Mathilde Johansson and Sorana Cirstea. Although, she lost to Flavia Pannetta in the third round of the Australian Open, her rating rose to number 11 as Elena Dementieva and Justine
Henin retired from professional tennis.
The 25th seed Wickmayer had a decent start to the current season by featuring in the ASB Classic at Auckland to defend her WTA title. She defeated Dinara Safina en route to the final of the tournament
but failed to defend her championship after getting beaten by Greta Arn. The Belgian suffered an early exit from the Australian Open at the hands of Anastsija Sevastova but made it to the quarter-final of the Open GDF Suez in Paris, losing to Petra Kvitova
in the round of eight.
A clear contrast is noticed between the game play of the both contestants. Peer has been observed to rely mostly on her powerful serve and pressurize her opponents with brilliant cross-court returns. On the contrary, Wickmayer
prefers a solid baseline defence and likes long rallies, forcing her opponents to commit errors. It will be very interesting to watch these two compete with two different playing styles.
It is notable that Peer has dropped one set in all her matches en route to the quarter-final and had to strain hard to get hold of the game in the decisive third set. The Israeli must keep in mind that a sloppy start to the quarter-final
might cost her match as the strong Belgian competitor is very fond of exploiting her opponents’ weak spots. Peer needs to be proactive right from the start if she desires any success against Wickmayer. The 25th seeded Belgian will be eyeing upon
an opportunity to get a shot at a third WTA career title as she is merely two wins away from the final of the BNP Paribas Open.
Tags: