French Open 2024: Elina Svitolina vs Karolina Pliskova preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Roland Garros
Match Details
Fixture: (15) Elina Svitolina vs Karolina Pliskova
Tournament: French Open 2024
Round: First Round (Round of 128)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Clay (Outdoor)
Prize Money: £53,478,000
Live Telecast: USA - NBC, Tennis Channel, Peacock | Canada - TSN, RDS | UK - Eurosport, Discovery+ | India - Sony Ten
Elina Svitolina vs Karolina Pliskova preview
Fifteenth seed Elina Svitolina will square off against former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in the first round of the 2024 French Open.
Svitolina started the year on a strong note, reaching the final in Auckland and the fourth round of the Australian Open. However, an injury forced her to retire from the latter event, and she hasn't been the same since.
Svitolina underperformed during the remainder of the hardcourt swing, and her results on clay have been inconsistent. She made a swift exit from the Madrid Open without winning a match but recovered to make the fourth round of the Italian Open.
The Ukrainian took on Aryna Sabalenka for a spot in the last eight, and even held three match points but couldn't get the job done. Her title defense at the Internationaux de Strasbourg came to an end in the second round against Clara Burel with a three-set loss.
Meanwhile, after a slow start to the season, Pliskova had a brief resurgence as she captured her first title in over four years at the Transylvania Open. She followed it up with a semifinal finish at the Qatar Open.
Pliskova's results petered out after that and injuries forced her to abandon her clay swing for a while. She commenced her clay season in Rouen, where she lost to Sloane Stephens in the second round. She returned to action a month later in Strasbourg and was eliminated in the first round by Burel.
Elina Svitolina vs Karolina Pliskova head-to-head
Pliskova leads Svitolina 5-4 in the head-to-head. The Ukrainian won their previous encounter at the 2019 WTA Finals in straight sets.
Elina Svitolina vs Karolina Pliskova odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Elina Svitolina vs Karolina Pliskova prediction
Svitolina was on the comeback trail during this time last year, and turned her season around at the French Open. She won the title in Strasbourg and made the last eight in Paris.
It's quite the opposite for the Ukrainian this time, as she lost early in Strasbourg and her overall form appears to be shaky. Fortunately for her, Pliskova doesn't seem to be at her best either, having just returned from an injury hiatus.
While Pliskova currently has a slim lead in the head-to-head, Svitolina has closed the gap with every match. The former won their first five matches but the latter has won their last four.
The two are now set to renew their rivalry after more than four years. While Svitolina is far from her best these days, she's likely to continue her winning streak against Pliskova and even this rivalry for the first time in her career.
Pick: Elina Svitolina to win in straight sets.