WTA Finals 2021: Garbine Muguruza vs Anett Kontaveit preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (6) Garbine Muguruza vs (8) Anett Kontaveit
Date: 17 November 2021
Tournament: Akron WTA Finals 2021
Round: Final
Venue: Guadalajara, Mexico
Category: Year-ending championships
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $5,000,000
Match timing: 7.30 pm local time, 1:30 am GMT, 7 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Garbine Muguruza vs Anett Kontaveit preview
Garbine Muguruza and Anett Kontaveit have set up an exciting championship match at the 2021 WTA Finals.
Mugruza got off to a slow start at the tournament, losing her first round-robin match against Karolina Pliskova in three tough sets, then coming from a set down against 2021 Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova to win in three sets. She defeated Kontaveit in straight sets in her final group tie.
Muguruza: "I feel like I struggled the first couple of matches. One, I didn't find the way. The other one, I did. All of those circumstances help you to find the way, the way to play here, to find your shots, to serve, to have a game plan.”
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In the semifinals against compatriot Paula Badosa, the two-time Grand Slam winner was in sublime form, defeating her younger opponent 6-4 6-4. Muguruza's perseverance after a rough beginning has been rewarded. She is now in her biggest final since winning at Wimbledon in 2017. It's also her fifth final of the year and she is guaranteed to end the year ranked no. 3.
Anett Kontaveit has been the most in-form player in the last few months, so it's no surprise that she made it to the title clash at the WTA Finals.
once again, Kontaveit absurd streak since mid-August
WTA 250 Cleveland: W
US Open: R3 (l. vs Swiatek)
WTA 500 Ostrava: W
WTA 1000 Indian Wells: QF (l. vs Jabeur)
WTA 500 Mosca: W
WTA 250 Cluj: W
WTA Finals: F TBP (3/4, l. vs Muguruza)
total points gained so far: 2800
She entered the tournament on a ten-match winning streak and won her first two round-robin matches against Krejcikova and Pliskova in straight sets. Those two wins were enough to qualify for the semifinals and a loss to Muguruza in the final group tie did not affect her fortunes.
Kontaveit needed three sets to get past Maria Sakkari in the semifinals, but she never really looked in any sort of trouble during the course of her 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 victory. Now in the biggest final of her career, the Estonian will look to end her remarkable season with another title.
Garbine Muguruza vs Anett Kontaveit head-to-head
Garbine Muguruza and Anett Kontaveit have played each other five times prior to this. The former world no. 1 leads the head-to-head by a slim margin of 3-2. Their most recent encounter was in the group stage at the 2021 WTA Finals itself, which the Spaniard won 6-4 6-4.
Garbine Muguruza vs Anett Kontaveit prediction
Having lost to Muguruza just a couple of days ago in straight sets, Kontaveit will have to switch up her tactics and improve her game if she wants to avoid a similar result.
Both players have a similar style of play as they look to dominate rallies from the baseline with their powerful groundstrokes. They're also quite capable servers and are matched evenly in almost every aspect of their game. However, Muguruza's forehand is a liability at times, especially in high pressure moments. Kontaveit could do well to exploit that weakness.
The crowd in Mexico has been firmly behind the two-time Grand Slam champion throughout the week, so the Estonian will have to find a way to handle that crowd pressure. But Kontaveit's form has been impeccable for a while now, and she'll try and find a way to summon her best tennis for one last time this season.
Prediction: Anett Kontaveit to win in three sets.