Yastremska, the instability continues!

This match is much more open than the odds suggest. Yastremska is being presented as the logical favorite thanks to her status and her 2025 final in Linz, but her clay stats tell a different story: 42.9% wins in her WTA career on this surface, with a negative record of 12–16. Ann Li, on the other hand, shows 54.5% on clay over her career and 57.1% over the last 52 weeks at WTA level; she is structurally better on clay. Add to this a striking detail: Li serves 4.6 aces per match over 52 weeks compared to 3.2 for Yastremska, a real serving advantage on an indoor low-bounce surface that favors big first serves.

The instability of Yastremska’s team, without a permanent coach for months and with a temporary collaboration whose presence in Linz is even uncertain, is an additional factor that should not be overlooked: Yastremska herself explained the situation in a press conference after her loss to Bencic in Charleston: "In Indian Wells, Pam suggested I work with Alexandra, telling me she could bring me experience and help me improve my game. I went to Miami and, before the tournament, we practiced together. She is currently working with a junior player and her contract with her runs until the end of the year. So I don’t know how things will go in the future. Maybe she can help me for a few weeks."

In short: it’s a temporary, non-contractual collaboration!