Barty vs Kvitova Odds & Pick: Qatar Open Semifinals

• Ashleigh Barty is the -179 favorite to defeat Petra Kvitova in their WTA Qatar Open semifinal on Friday
• World #1 Barty has won four straight matches over Kvitova. Will she make it five in a row?
• All the odds on this match are available for analysis in the story that follows

When it comes to the rivalry between Ashleigh Barty over Petra Kvitova, lately it’s been a one-sided affair.

World #1 Barty has toppled 11th-ranked Kvitova in each of their last four matches.

Sportsbooks see this pattern continuing in the WTA Qatar Open semifinals. Barty and Kvitova clash Friday at 10:15 am EST. They list Barty as the -179 favorite in this match.

Petra Kvitova vs Ashleigh Barty Qatar Open Semifinal Odds

Odds taken Feb. 27

Barty has won four successive matches from Kvitova.

Barty Battles On

The top seed, Barty was the +650 pre-tournament favorite to win the Qatar Open. She’s done little since the event started to cause any doubt regarding that prediction.

Seeing action for the first time since her loss to Sofia Kenin in the Australian Open, Barty easily handled Laura Siegemund 6-3, 6-2 in the Round of 32. Barty caught a big break when red-hot Elena Rybakina, who’d played in four finals in her past five tournaments, was forced to pull out of their Round of 16 match due to a leg strain.

Up next in the quarterfinals was 11th seed Garbine Muguruza, a two-time Grand Slam champion. Barty gutted out a 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-2 victory. It was their third career meeting, and the third to go the full three sets.

Barty dominated the first set, never facing a breakpoint. A grinding second set went to former world #1 Muguruza via tiebreaker. Barty again took control in the deciding set.

She successfully staved off a breakpoint in the first game of the set. Following a trio of successive service breaks, she took a commanding a 5-2 lead.

Kvitova Endures Rough Journey

Getting to the semifinals wasn’t nearly as easy a ride for Kvitova. She’s gone three sets in two matches. Although she swept Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in the quarterfinals, Kvitova of the Czech Republic was forced to tiebreakers in both sets.

She beat Jabeur 7-6(2), 7-6(4). Kvitova twice trailed Jabeur by a break in the second set. She saved two set points before finally wrapping up the match.

In the Round of 32, Kvitova rallied to defeat 2016 Qatar Open champion Carla Suárez Navarro 4-6, 6-3, 6-0. Her next match saw Kvitova overcome 2016 Qatar Open finalist Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 5-7, 6-1.

In the quarterfinals, the 29-year-old Czech was forced to battle a flag-waving pro-Jabeur crowd that supported the highest-ranked Arab player in WTA history.

All Tied Up

The history between Barty and Kvitova is almost like two separate stories. This will be their seventh meeting since the start of the 2019 season.

Kvitova won their first four matches. That streak started with a 6-1, 6-2 victory in the Round of 128 at the 2012 French Open. Kvitova’s string of successes over Barty included a 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) triumph in the 2019 Sydney final. She also bettered Barty 6-1, 6-4 in the 2019 Australian Open quarterfinals.

Barty began to fight back with a 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-2 victory in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Miami Masters. Barty avenged her 2019 Aussie Open setback by toppling Kvitova 7-6(6), 6-2 in this year’s quarterfinals. That was her fourth straight victory over the Czech player.

Kvitova Loves Qatar

Barty against Kvitova always makes for exciting, entertaining tennis. They’re both aggressive players but play entirely contrasting styles. That’s what makes their matches so compelling.

The six-foot Kvitova is a power player, a hard, flat hitter. Barty also plays a heavy game but her shot-making arsenal offer vastly more variety and versatility.

Kvitova vs Barty Stats

Kvitova has now won nine successive matches in the Qatar Open dating back to her 2018 title. She just doesn’t lose here.

Expect a close, three-set match. Play the “Over” and go with the upset.

Pick: Petra Kvitova (+150)