Bernarda Pera
France’s Clara Burel will take on No.4 seed Bernarda Pera in the quarter-final of the WTA Strasbourg 2023 tournament
Bernarda Pera of the US has been very impressive so far this season. She achieved her career-best singles ranking of World No.32 this year after a string of consistent results.
She is concentrating more on playing singles now and as a result, her doubles ranking has dropped down to an all-time low (121). However, Pera’s sacrifices are bearing fruits as she continues to gain ground on the WTA singles circuit by leaps and bounds.
Pera is seeded fourth in the tournament and has made a really good start. She began her campaign with a hard-fought victory against compatriot Sophie Chang before registering a comprehensive 6-4, 6-4 win over Australia’s Kimberly Birrell. The American is one of the favourites to win the title in Strasbourg but she can certainly not take anything for granted. She would be aiming to be at the top of her game heading to the all-important French Open.
Burel is playing on home turf, and she has got off to a great start. The French ace pulled off a major upset in the first round itself, getting the better of fifth seed Sorana Cristea.
She defeated the Romanian convincingly in straight sets 7-6, 7-5 before sealing another straight-set win over Kaia Kanepi. Burel will go into this match as an underdog, but she will have the home support on her side, and it is a great advantage to have. It remains to be seen if the youngster has what it takes to pull off an upset against the much-fancied Bernarda Pera.
Date – Thursday, 25th May
Court Type – Clay outdoor surface
Telecast – Tennis Channel
Start Time – To be Announced
Location – Strasbourg
Match details – Quarter-final
Pera and Burel have never played each other before on the WTA tour. This is the first professional head-to-head clash between the two players. On paper, Pera is the favourite both in terms of form and rankings. However, one can certainly not rule out the local girl Burel and she is expected to put up a tough fight. We are predicting a close match with Pera eventually winning in three sets.
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