Miami Open 2021: Iga Swiatek vs Barbora Krejcikova preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Iga Swiatek vs Barbora Krejcikova
Date: 25 March 2021
Tournament: Miami Open 2021
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: Miami, Florida
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $3,340,000
Match timing: Approx 3 pm local time, 12.30 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Europsort
Iga Swiatek vs Barbora Krejcikova preview
Iga Swiatek is set to open her 2021 Miami Open campaign on Thursday with a second-round encounter against the in-form Barbora Krejcikova.
Swiatek, who is also making her debut at the WTA 1000 event, has made a decent start to the year. The Pole secured her first WTA title while playing in Adelaide last month, and will be looking to build on her recent results.
Barbora Krejcikova, meanwhile, has made quite a start to the season herself. Having posted a couple of decent showings in Melbourne and Abu Dhabi, she went on to reach the biggest final of her career at the Dubai Open.
The Czech took out the likes of Jelena Ostapenko, Maria Sakkari and Jil Teichmann en-route to the summit clash in the Middle-Eastern city, where she put up a valiant fight against Garbine Muguruza.
Krejcikova is also a former No. 1 doubles player, and definitely has the skillset to trouble a big name like Swiatek.
Iga Swiatek vs Barbora Krejcikova head-to-head
This is set to be the first career meeting between Iga Swiatek and Barbora Krejcikova, so their current head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Iga Swiatek vs Barbora Krejcikova prediction
Iga Swiatek has been in the spotlight ever since her breakout run at the French Open last year. And the 19-year-old has done fairly well to adjust to the newfound attention.
Swiatek's title run in Adelaide was another fine example of her ability to play dominant tennis over the course of a full tournament. The youngster has also begun to look increasingly confident in her skills as a hardcourt player, which does not bode well for her opponents.
For Barbora Krejcikova, the key will lie in her ability to take time away from Swiatek. Krejcikova simply cannot let Swiatek feel comfortable on the baseline, given the amount of power the Pole can generate when she has time on the ball.
Krejcikova will need to maintain an aggressive approach throughout and keep finding depth on her groundstrokes if she wishes to push Swiatek past the breaking point. Given her recent form, she might just be able to do that.
Prediction: Barbora Krejcikova to win in three sets.