Australian Open 2022: Iga Swiatek vs Sorana Cirstea preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (7) Iga Swiatek vs Sorana Cirstea
Date: 24 January 2022.
Tournament: Australian Open 2022.
Round: Fourth round (Round of 16).
Venue: Melbourne, Australia.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Match timing: 7 p.m. local time, 8 a.m. GMT, 1.30 p.m. IST
Prize money: $75,000,000.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Liv.
Iga Swiatek vs Sorana Cirstea preview
Seventh seed Iga Swiatek will aim to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the first time when she squares off against World No. 38 Sorana Cirstea on Monday.
Having won a couple of titles last year, 2020 French Open champion Iga Swiatek began 2022 in impressive fashion. She made it to the semifinals of Adelaide in her opening tournament of the year, dispatching the likes of Victoria Azarenka and Leylah Fernandez along the way.
The Pole has now managed to carry that momentum into the inaugural Major of the season.
The 20-year-old has looked sharp in her first three matches at the Australian Open. She swatted aside Harriet Dart, Rebecca Peterson and 25th seed Daria Kasatkina, dropping no more than five games per match.
Swiatek: “That was really intense match. Tactically I did a good job of not letting her use her topspin on the FH. I’m glad that I was the first one to switch the direction to the line so I could have more initiative.”
"I feel like I'm playing better and better every match." https://t.co/4xxavOUWw8
Having reached the semifinals of a couple of warm-up tournaments, Kasatkina was supposed to be a tough challenge in the third round. But the Pole was up to the task and needed just an hour and 35 minutes to send the Russian packing 6-2, 6-3.
With the win, Swiatek has now reached the second week of her sixth consecutive Slam.
Former World No. 21 Sorana Cirstea, meanwhile, had a resurgence during the clay swing last year. She won the title in Istanbul, finished runner-up in Strasbourg and made the fourth round of Roland Garros.
But other than that, she couldn't make much of an impact during the rest of the season.
The new season, too, started quietly for the Romanian, who managed just a solitary win in two tournaments prior to the Australian Open.
However, the 31-year-old has turned it around at the Melbourne Major in spectacular fashion. She has now reached the second week of a Slam for the fourth time in her career, toppling 10th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and 20th seed Petra Kvitova during her rampaging run.
@sorana_cirstea knocks out the 10th seed in Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3 2-6 6-2 to advance to the fourth round at the #AusOpen for the second time. The smile says it all 🤩
🇷🇴 @sorana_cirstea knocks out the 10th seed in Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3 2-6 6-2 to advance to the fourth round at the #AusOpen for the second time.
#A02022 https://t.co/tvHWznYDal
Cirstea's third-round face-off with Pavlyuchenkova had multiple momentum shifts but she held her nerve to complete a 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 upset.
She is now the only player in the women's singles draw to have had two top-20 scalps in the first week of the 2022 Australian Open.
Iga Swiatek vs Sorana Cirstea head-to-head
Swiatek and Cirstea have never squared off on the tour before, so the head-to-head is currently tied at 0-0.
Iga Swiatek vs Sorana Cirstea prediction
The face-off between Swiatek and Cirstea represents a clash between two attacking players. Swiatek, of course, has more experience playing at the highest level of the sport and that will come in handy against her 31-year-old opponent.
The Pole's success over the last couple of years has been down to her determination and her ability to find solutions quickly on the court. Against Kasatkina, Swiatek's forehand looked off-color for more than a set, although her backhand worked like a dream.
However, as the match progressed, the 20-year-old was able to cut down on the errors off her forehand, which ultimately produced 12 winners.
Swiatek's smart shot selection also played a pivotal role in her third-round win. She kept varying the placement of her shots to confuse and stretch Kasatkina, which paid rich dividends.
However, the seventh seed needs to be careful about her second serve. The Russian was able to attack it and earn a break of serve in the second set.
Cirstea won't relent on the returns when the two meet on Monday. The Romanian's aggressive return game was the key to her win against Pavlyuchenkova in the third round. Her flat strokes on the pacy Melbourne courts and superb down-the-line winners took the wind out of the Russian's sails in the third set.
That said, Cirstea was aided a lot by Pavlyuchenkova's 31 unforced errors and she probably won't get the same kind of help from the Pole. Swiatek also has the better serve of the two and it could make a huge difference in this match.
Prediction: Iga Swiatek to win in two tight sets.