Karolina Pliskova vs Sara Sorribes Tormo Odds & Prediction – WTA National Bank Open Quarterfinals

• No. 4 seed Karolina Pliskova meets an unexpected opponent in the National Bank Open quarterfinals
• Unseeded Sara Sorribes Tormo has lost just one set in three matches to get to the final eight.
• Pliskova is the favorite in this one; we break down what Sorribes Tormo can do to derail her

No. 4 seed Karolina Pliskova would have expected to meet No. 5 seed Garbiñe Muguruza in Friday’s quarterfinal match at the National Bank Open in Montreal.

Instead, she will play Muguruza’s countrywoman, unseeded Sara Sorribes Tormo.

It’s a completely different type of matchup.

Karolina Pliskova vs Sara Sorribes Tormo Odds

Odds as of Aug. 12 at Bet365

Sorribes Tormo – Not a Clay-Court Specialist

She comes from Spain. And her game style, charitably, is described as “defensive”.

But one and one don’t always add up to two. And the truth is that Sorribes Tormo has played more on hard courts than clay in her career. And she has a better winning percentage on hard courts, too.

And in the last year, she has made some huge improvements in her game overall. She is now 27-9 over the last 52 weeks on the hard courts.

After a Stuttery Start, Pliskova Coming On

At 29, Pliskova seems to be in a bit of a mid-career funk. She’s been at this a long time, and she began the season looking as though she’d rather be somewhere else.

That was especially true when she ran into American Jessica Pegula – which she did a probability-busting four times in the first six months of the season. Three of those came consecutively on hard courts – in Doha, Dubai and Miami. She lost all four.

But Pliskova turned one bright spot – a final in Rome – into an unexpected run at Wimbledon.

Pliskova upset No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka in three sets in the semifinal. And after the final against Ashleigh Barty looked like one-way traffic, she pushed her to the limit before falling in three sets.

This is only the Czech’s second trip to the quarterfinals in Canada. She’s done better at the follow-up tournament in Cincinnati in similar conditions, winning the title once and making another semifinal.

Great Hard-Court Stretch for Sorribes Tormo

Over the winter, Sorribes Tormo won her first  WTA Tour title at a smaller event in Guadalajara, Mexico, beating Canadian Genie Bouchard in the final.

It was at altitude. And it was hot. She followed that up with a semifinal the following week in Monterrey in similar conditions. And then, she defeated three consecutive top-30 players on the way to the quarterfinals at the Miami Open, where she lost to 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu.

She also shocked many by upsetting Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty in the first round of the Olympics.

Karolina Pliskova vs Sara Sorribes Head-to-Head

Killing the Hard Hitters With Kindness

What Sorribes Tormo does to the hard-hitting players is quite a sight to behold – if watching players tear their hair out is a thing you enjoy.

The 24-year-old doesn’t have much racquet head speed. And she has trouble putting the ball away. even if that part of her game is improving.

But she gets … everything back. She never appears to tire. And she makes the big hitters hit balls until, hopefully for her, they will overhit out of exasperation or exhaustion.

It is earning her a lot of victories. And Pliskova, who lives for quick-strike tennis, could be vulnerable to that kind of play.

Karolina Pliskova vs Sara Sorribes Match History

Their only meeting came so long ago, it’s not worth mentioning.

Pliskova was playing her best tennis. Sorribes Tormo, just getting started, wasn’t even in the top 100.

There is no feel of an upset in this one although the Spaniard, undervalued for so long, is no longer under the radar.

Best Bet: Pliskova (-200)