St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy Semifinals Odds & Picks: Gasparyan vs Zvonareva & Kuznetsova vs Kasatkina

• Vera Zvonareva is the -175 favorite to defeat Margarita Gasparyan in one of two semifinal matches at the WTA St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy on Saturday, March 20th
• Daria Kasatkina is the -186 betting choice over Svetlana Kuznetsova in the other semifinal
• With four Russians in the semis, the tournament is guaranteed to have a Russian winner for the first time since 2005

The St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy began as a tournament in 2003. Throughout its history, there have only been two winners from the event’s home country of Russia and none since 2005.

Considering the tourney’s matchups for Saturday, March 20th semifinals, that situation is about to change. In fact, it’s a lock to do so.

Vera Zvonareva is the -175 favorite to defeat Russian compatriot Margarita Gasparyan in one semifinal match at 7:00 am ET. Daria Kasatkina is the -186 betting choice over Svetlana Kuznetsova in the other all-Russian semifinal, slated for an 8:30 am ET start.

WTA St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy Semifinal Odds

Odds as of March 18

The last Russian to win the event was Ekaterina Bychkova in 2005. There hasn’t been a Russian player in the final since Anna Lapushchenkova in 2008.

Margarita Gasparyan vs Vera Zvonareva Prediction

Both Zvonareva and Gasparyan were unseeded at the outset of the tournament. Gasparyan eliminated #1 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets 6-2, 7-5 in the quarterfinals. Alexandrova was also the +400 betting pick to win the event at the outset of the tournament.

2020 St. Petersburg Q1: Zvonareva d. Gasparyan 6-2, 6-2

2021 St. Petersburg SF: Zvonareva vs Gasparyan ❔❔

One year after meeting in the first qualifying round, Zvonareva and Gasparyan will battle it out for a place in the St. Petersburg final.

[📸: @JJlovesTennis] pic.twitter.com/Aj0aB8batt

— WTARussians (@WTArussians) March 19, 2021

World #126 Gasparyan dominated first serve, winning at a 69-percent rate, compared to Alexandrova’s 50-percent effort. Alexandrova double-faulted five times. She also committed 24 unforced errors and failed to take advantage of a pair of second-set service breaks. Gasparyan hasn’t lost a set since her first-round victory over Kristina Mladenovic.

This is the best showing by former world #2 Zvonareva, 36, since returning to action from maternity leave. Currently ranked #145 by the WTA, she easily dispatched Anastasia Gasanova 6-3, 6-1 in their quarterfinal battle. She broke Gasanova’s serve five times.

That backhand from Bepa 💪@verazvonareva | #FormulaTX pic.twitter.com/dxhCYO4S3Z

— wta (@WTA) March 19, 2021

Zvonareva upset #3 seed Fiona Ferro 6-7(6), 7-5, 7-6(2) in the round of 16. That match lasted 190 minutes. A Wimbledon and US Open finalist in 2010, Zvonareva’s most recent WTA title was won in 2011.

Take the Favorite

This same duo faced each other in the qualifiers for this event last year. Zvonareva won easily 6-2, 6-2.

https://twitter.com/WTA/status/1372979490943602692?s=20

Her superior shotmaking and footspeed, along with the savvy of her years of experience, will again prevail in this match.

Pick: Vera Zvonareva (-175), 2-1 (+320)

Svetlana Kuznetsova vs Daria Kasatkina Prediction

Kasatkina continued her strong play in this event. At one time she was ranked #10 in the world.

She rallied from a first-set loss to dispatch #2 seed Veronica Kudermetova 1-6, 6-1, 6-2. She’s into the semifinals of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy for the third time. Kasatkina was also a final four participant in 2016 and 2018, but she’s yet to reach the final.

Rally COMPLETE ✅@DKasatkina comes from behind to make her third St. Petersburg semifinal!

Faces Kuznetsova next at @Formula_TX 🇷🇺 pic.twitter.com/OqnIRm9AYY

— wta (@WTA) March 19, 2021

Eighth-seeded Kasatkina dominated the second set thanks to 12 unforced errors by Kudermetova. Fighting off six break points to claim a 2-0 lead in the third set, world #61 Kasatkina cruised from that point onward. She struggled with her serve, though. Kasatkina double-faulted five times during the match.

It appears that all it took was a little home cooking for the veteran Kuznetsova to find her form. The two-time Grand Slam champion got through the round of 16 at a tournament for the first time this year. Now she’s poised to reach her first WTA final since 2019. At one point, she was the world’s #2 player,

Sveta seals it 🤩

A 74th WTA semifinal beckons for @SvetlanaK27 – and a first in her home town! 🇷🇺#FormulaTX pic.twitter.com/D6AVXyyWax

— wta (@WTA) March 19, 2021

Kuznetsova, 35, rallied from a set and a break point down to defeat Romanian qualifier Jaqueline Cristian 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3. She broke Cristian five times off of eight break points. Kuznetsova will be playing in the semifinals of a WTA tournament for the 74th time.

Go With Experience

Though they’ve practiced against each other numerous times, Kasatkina and Kuznetsova will be meeting for the first time on a tournament court. Kasatkina is playing well of late. She recently captured her first WTA title in over two years at the Philipp Island Trophy, defeating Marie Bouzkova in the final.

One of the more bizarre points you'll see this week?! 🤷‍♀️@Formula_TX | #FormulaTX pic.twitter.com/I984PUv2zb

— wta (@WTA) March 19, 2021

While Kasatkina is displaying the better overall form this season, Kuznetsova’s years of experience can’t be discounted. She may have lost a step from her prime, but Kuznetsova’s more rounded game will be enough to overcome her younger opponent.

Pick: Svetlana Kuznetsova (+160), 2-1 (+475)