Tatjana Maria will take on fellow countrywoman Julia Niemeier, who is 12 years her junior, in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Day 10 of the Wimbledon Championships..
To say nobody would have predicted this matchup in the last eight is no exaggeration. Maria is making her maiden grand slam quarterfinal at the age of 34. Niemeier is through to her first grand slam quarterfinal, two months after making her grand slam debut at the French Open as a qualifier.
So, who will win this fascinating all-German quarterfinal? Read on as we preview Maria vs Niemeier, examine the tennis odds, and serve up our tennis predictions for your consideration.
2022 Wimbledon Women’s Outrights
- Ons Jabeur +175
- Simona Halep +200
- Amanda Anisimova +500
- Elena Rybakina +800
- Julie Neimeier +1100
- Marie Bouzkova +1600
- Alja Tomljanovic +1600
- Tatjana Maria +2200
Maria’s Milestone
Maria’s career serves as a testament to the level of difficulty that tennis players face at the grand slams and, beyond.
It’s easy to take for granted players such as Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and so on. Those that have climbed to the summit of the game, making winning look natural and easy so often along the way. Overlooking, at the same time, those players that are left in their shadow. The so-called “journeymen and women” of the game, tirelessly competing but enjoying little success or recognition.
It’s been a long time coming, but the 34-year-old German and mother of two, who turned pro in 2001, finally has her moment.
She’s through to the quarterfinal ranked No. 103 and now, two wins separate the seasoned veteran from a potential Wimbledon final appearance and a crack at the title. Talk about Cinderella stories.
Maria defied the betting online odds to clinch her place in the last eight, storming for a set down to defeat the highly fancied 12th seed Jelena Ostapenko, 5-7 7-5 7-5. It marked Maria’s second straight upset after dispatching fifth seed Maria Sakkari in the R32.
Magical moment for Maria 💫
After returning from maternity leave less than a year ago, Tatjana Maria reaches her first Grand Slam QF#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/dCv8QXelTY
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2022
Niemeier’s Rising Star
Unlike her counterpart, Julia Niemeier, 22, reaches the enviable milestone in only her second career grand slam appearance. That’s quite the accomplishment for the Wimbledon newcomer and it sets her up as one of the game’s rising stars in 2022.
Niemeier fell into a wide-open section of the Wimbledon women’s draw, which featured Anett Kontaveit (No. 2) as the highest seed. Niemeier upset the top-ranked Estonian in the second round and hasn’t looked back.
In the R16, Niemeier defeated home favorite Heather Watson 6-2, 6-4. The big-hitting German overpowered and outwitted Watson and crushed Britain’s last hope of homegrown champion on the women’s side of the tournament.
⭐ Settle in for one of the rallies of this year’s Championships ⭐
Jule Niemeier is a #Wimbledon quarter-finalist!#CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/uA0c9a7T6z
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2022
Maria vs Niemeier Head-to-Head
This is the first meeting between Maria and Niemeier at the WTA Tour level.
Maria vs Niemeier
Betting on this matchup is a bit of a tossup, clouded further by conflicting emotions. It’s easy to get swept away by the individual Cinderella stories of each player. There’s the tried and tested player making a grand slam breakthrough toward the end of her career. Then, the youngster finds a place for herself among the game’s NextGen stars.
In some respects, both players are winners already. Not everyone gets to reach a grand slam quarterfinal in their career, never mind a semifinal.
However, there must be a winner and a loser in this quarterfinal. in terms of the betting, the odds favor Niemeier to advance at -180. Maria is an underdog at +160.
By all accounts, Niemeier is the better play. However, the magnitude of the occasion can prove to be overwhelming for one so young. It’s unlikely that Maria will get many more opportunities such as this one. For that reason, her resolve might be greater and that could be the difference between a win and a loss.
