Fight between left-handers

The duel of left-handers from the East This round of 16 in Cluj offers a striking contrast between two left-handers with opposite trajectories. At 24, Maja Chwalińska is a “magician” on the court: she doesn’t shut down her opponents with power, but with frustration, constantly changing rhythm and using the full width of the court. Her win over Ana Bogdan proved that she feels right at home on the Romanian indoor hard court, a surface that really suits her skimming slices.

Opposite her, Olga Danilović embodies raw power. The 1.82 m tall Serb goes for the knockout with every strike. If she manages to dictate the rallies with her cross-court forehand, she can make life impossible for Maja. However, Olga is still a player driven by emotions: if the drop shots and changes of trajectory from the Pole start to make her doubt, she can quickly spiral into a string of unforced errors. The key to the match will lie in Maja’s ability not to be overpowered physically so she can lead Olga into a tactical maze. Though the Serb has the weapons to prevail, Maja Chwalińska showed in the previous round that she loves the underdog role and that her variation-based game is perfectly tuned. As in their previous encounter, Maja is expected to hang tough and push Olga to a deciding set.