Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva dances through into the finals of the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham. In the finals on Sunday (June 23), she will take on Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic. This is the first time that both the players have reached the finals in a grass court event. Who has the upper hand in this intriguing contest?

Ajla Tomljanovic was out for most of the season last year due to her knee surgery. Her best results so far this year have come in Birmingham itself. However, before this tournament, she reached the QF of the ITF Great Britain 07A. Yulia Putintseva, on the other hand, has reached four QFs in her previous tournaments this year. Now, it will be interesting to see who takes the first step forward towards clinching their maiden grass-court triumph.

Yulia Putintseva vs Ajla Tomljanovic: Preview

Yulia Putintseva is entering this match after her emphatic victory over Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the SF. She defeated the Italian by 6-2-6-2 and hit four aces, committing just one double fault in the match. Her first-serve win percentage was 68% but it dropped to 53% on the second-serve. She successfully converted six out of her ten breakpoints in that match against the Italian.

If we take a look at the numbers from Putintseva this season, she has recorded just 30 aces and committed 47 double faults. The 29-year-old tennis star from Kazakhstan has won 66% of her service games and 40.3% of her return games so far.

On the other hand, the 31-year-old Aussie tennis star, Ajla Tomljanovic defeated Russia’s Anastasia Potapova in the SF by 7-6(5),6-4. In that match, she hit eight aces and committed seven double faults. Her first-serve win percentage was recorded at 77% while her second-serve win percentage was around 50%. She successfully converted her single breakpoint chance in that match.

Ajla Tomljanovic has hit 26 aces so far and committed nearly 37 double faults. She has won 59.6% of her service games and 31.2% of her return games. Who in between these two players is currently leading the H2H scoreline?

Putintseva vs Tomljanovic: Head-to-Head

Yulia Putintseva has faced Ajla Tomljanovic five times in her career! Currently, the Kazakhstani tennis star is leading the H2H scoreline with a 4-1 margin over the Australian. Their first meeting in Beijing witnessed an abrupt ending due to Tomljanovic’s walkover in the second set. However, she made a strong comeback in her next match at the Adelaide International 1 and won that match in two sets. After that, it has been a one-sided battle with Putintseva winning their next three encounters.

In their latest meeting at the QF of the 2022 Istanbul Cup, Yulia Putintseva defeated Ajla Tomljanovic by 5-7,6-2,6-4. In that match, Putintseva hit five aces and committed just two double faults, but on the other hand, the Australian could only manage to hit one ace and committed two double faults. She won 55% of her first-serve and 66% of her second-serve, while it was 64% and 59% respectively for Putintseva. The Kazakhstani tennis star managed to convert five of her eleven breakpoints in that match compared to just three out of twelve for the Australian. Who’s most likely to have an edge in this thrilling encounter in Birmingham?

Prediction: Putintseva in win in three sets

Although Ajla Tomljanovic has reached the QF of Wimbledon twice in her career, her record in this tournament hasn’t been that great. Her farthest run has been reaching the second round here in her previous attempts. However, Yulia Putintseva reached the QF in Birmingham in 2019. Currently, Putintseva has a win-loss record of 22-12 whereas Tomljanovic’s win-loss record in this season is 12-6. Ajla Tomljanovic has lost all four tour finals she has contested in her career. So, this is really going to be a challenging task for her in Birmingham.

Yulia Putintseva has a strong forehand, and she is very agile on the courts. She possesses an effective slice and Putintseva’s drop shots are one of the best on the Tour. Her craftiness, including her ability to mix up her shots, vary her pace in the match may prove to be handy against the Australian. Ajla Tomljanovic (190) on the other hand, will be heavily relying on her strong backhand to topple the world number 41. She needs to be brave and stay up the baseline to counter her opponent. Although, her game with flat groundstrokes and solid serve suits grass courts pretty well, defeating Yulia Putintseva may prove to be a tough ask here on Super Sunday!