Australian Open 2023: Aryna Sabalenka vs Tereza Martincova preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match details
Fixture: (5) Aryna Sabalenka vs Tereza Martincova
Date: January 17, 2023
Tournament: Australian Open 2023
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: A$76,500,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Ten & Sony Liv
Aryna Sabalenka vs Tereza Martincova preview
Fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka will begin the quest for her maiden Grand Slam title against World No. 73 Tereza Martincova at the Australian Open on Tuesday.
Following a rocky season where she went title-less, Sabalenka has begun 2023 in spectacular fashion. The Belarusian didn't drop a single set on her way to claiming her 11th career title at the Adelaide International 1 earlier this year. It was her first trophy since her Madrid triumph in May 2021.
Having made such a thunderous start to the year, the World No. 5 will be keen to improve her record at the Australian Open after her last two trips ended in the fourth round.
Tereza Martincova, meanwhile, is a 28-year-old Czech player with a career-high ranking of 40. She is yet to taste title glory in singles on the WTA tour and her best performance in Slams remains a third-round finish at Wimbledon in 2021.
Martincova's best result in 2022 was a semifinal appearance at Nottingham. She also made the last eight in St. Petersburg and Ostrava.
The World No. 73 began 2023 with a first-round loss at Auckland last week. At Hobart this week, she won two rounds of qualifying before falling in the first round of the main draw.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Tereza Martincova head-to-head
Sabalenka and Martincova have never squared off on the tour before. Hence, their head-to-head is tied at a 0-0 deadlock.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Tereza Martincova odds
(Odds sourced from Oddschecker)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Tereza Martincova prediction
By dint of her world ranking and recent performances, Sabalenka comes into this contest as the overwhelming favorite. Not only is the hard-hitter striking the ball well at the moment, but has also made massive improvements on her serve and in the mental aspect of the game.
Around this time last year, the Belarusian struggled to contain her double faults - something she has worked on this year. She also seems calmer and steadier under pressure, which helped her in her Adelaide run.
Martincova, on the other hand, has reliable groundstrokes and good defensive skills, but her serve isn't one of the strong points of her game. She will look to engage the Belarusian in long rallies in order to eke out errors off her racquet. But if she concedes an early break of serve and lets Sabalenka dominate from the baseline, she won't get too many chances to get back into the match.
Pick: Aryna Sabalenka to win in straight sets.