Linz Open: Martic vs Potapova Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Linz Open as Petra Martic takes on Anastasia Potapova in the final on Sunday, February 12, 2023.

Petra Martic is gunning for her fourth career title, while Anastasia Potapova will be looking to win her second. This should a fascinating final at the Linz Open that pits two players who are just 10 spots apart in the rankings. Who will prevail?

Petra Martic took matters into her own hands and produced the biggest win of the week by knocking out top seed Maria Sakkari in a three-set barnburner on Saturday. It was a physical match, just like their meeting at the United Cup last month. But this time, Martic was unpredictable and her serve held firm in key moments to turn the match on its head and won 3-6 6-3 6-4 in over two hours. Can she overcome Anastasia Potapova in Sunday’s final?

Anastasia Potapova, meanwhile, scored her first win over Marketa Vondrousova in three attempts. The Russian breezed through the opening set 6-1, winning 17 of the first 22 points. And despite the Czech hauling herself back into the contest, Potapova got the decisive break at 5-3 in the third set before serving out for the match and a place in the Linz Open final against Petra Martic.

Petra Martic and Anastasia Potapova are tied at 1-1 in their head-to-head. The last time Potapova defeated Martic was on the clay of Istanbul last year and went on to win the title. Potapotva has played in seven three-set matches on the trot coming into Sunday’s final at the Linz Open. Martic has also played in high-intensity and long matches in the past two weeks (four in particular, which have gone the distance), so there shouldn’t be too much of an edge on that front. However, the Croat has the all-court armory to give Potapova a headache of playing some very awkward shots from the baseline. And on the back of a top-10 win over Maria Sakkari, Martic will fancy her chances of getting the job done on Sunday.