Brisbane International Final Preview : Daniela Hantuchova vs Kaia Kanepi

Kaia Kanepi's forehand, a strong weapon that can sometimes, collapse (Brisbane, Australia)

Sorry for this little absence, been busy with exams and I work on that blog on my own. I bet you already know everything about Brisbane's result of the week, about both Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams getting injuried during matches. I really hope both will be able to compete at their best during the Australian Open. However, Daniela Hantuchova's been lucky on her way to the final, because of both Serena and Kim's retirement she had on her way to the final while Kaia Kanepi had to fight at a great level to win against players such as Andrea Petkovic, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Francesca Schiavone.

Tomorrow, those both ladies will compete in order to win the first Premier Tournament of the year. No doubt they will try all their best to do so. By the way, the objective is also about getting (well) seeded at the Australian Open. In fact, this will be the last week before seeding and it would be a great way for both to improve their rankings.

If Daniela Hantuchova wins the tournament she'd reach the 21th spot at the WTA Rankings while Kaia Kanepi would grab the 26th if she somehow manages to win the title. This shows that both ladies are approximately at the same level in term of rankings. But what about game ?  I know that Kaia Kanepi played solid tennis in order to reach the final, she's been really mentally strong and sometimes, tennistically, impressive but I still believe that Daniela Hantuchova got all what it takes in her racquet to clinch the Brisbane title.  In fact, while Kanepi hits the ball really flat and hard, Daniela knows to do a bit more with the ball and hits more pure and much cleaner baseline storkes. She'll have to try to set up the game around her forehand, which, for me, when, it's on, is her best shot, by faf. It's anyway,  her match to win or to lose, and I think she'll take her chance and win it in a tough three-setter as Kaia Kanepi will be here and play a great tennis during the final.

This final could be really important for Daniela Hantuchova. In fact, she's the kind of player with a really fragile confidence but that could also be highly boosted with a big title, like the Brisbane International. This is already a big moment for Daniela as, if she manages to hold her nerves and to win this. Actually, I can see this potential title being a start to a really strong season to one of the most talented players on the tour...

Daniela Hantuchova focussing on the ball (Brisbane, Australia)