Indian Wells 2021: Bianca Andreescu vs Anett Kontaveit preview, head-to-head & prediction | BNP Paribas Open
Match details
Fixture: (16) Bianca Andreescu vs (18) Anett Kontaveit
Date: 11 October 2021
Tournament: BNP Paribas Open
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: Indian Wells, USA
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $8,761,725
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Bianca Andreescu vs Anett Kontaveit preview
Bianca Andreescu maintained her 100% record at Indian Wells with a hard-fought 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 win over Alison Riske in the second round on Saturday. The defending champion will next face Anett Kontaveit in the third round.
Kontaveit led Martina Trevisan 6-3, 5-2 in her second-round match when the Italian retired, presumably due to fatigue or an injury after having played for nearly four hours in her opening match.
Andreescu was involved in a rollercoaster of a match once again. The Canadian has been involved in 15 three-set encounters this season, winning 11 of them.
Andreescu and Riske played some spectacular tennis in the first set, which the 21-year-old pocketed in a tiebreaker. The 2019 champion looked set to cruise home in straight sets after building up a 4-1 lead in the second set.
However, the American leveled proceedings, only to find herself staring at two match points while serving at 4-5. However, Riske saved both before breaking Andreescu's serve and then holding to close out the set.
The Canadian then called for a trainer. Despite things looking bleak for Andreescu at the time, she managed to stamp her authority in the deciding set, winning it with ease.
Bianca Andreescu defeats Alison Riske 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 to advance at Indian Wells! https://t.co/F9ifNrEW2N
Anett Kontaveit, meanwhile, did not play a full match but still ended up spending 90 minutes on court. Trevisan tested the Estonian with some resolute defending, even racking up eight break point opportunities.
However, Kontaveit ended up saving seven of those, which ultimately tilted the scales in her favor as Trevisan ran out of gas.
Bianca Andreescu vs Anett Kontaveit head-to-head
Anett Kontaveit leads Bianca Andreescu 2-0 in the head-to-head. Kontaveit beat Andreescu at Eastbourne earlier this year, and had previously accounted for the Canadian at Miami in 2019.
Bianca Andreescu vs Anett Kontaveit prediction
Anett Kontaveit is in red-hot form. She won the title in Cleveland in August before lifting the trophy in Ostrava. The Estonian beat the likes of Sara Sorribes Tormo, Petra Kvitova, Maria Sakkari, Paula Badosa, and Belinda Bencic en route to winning the aforementioned events, and she will be eyeing another major scalp in the shape of defending BNP Paribas Open champion Bianca Andreescu.
Andreescu has been quite wasteful in most of her matches this year; she squandered a whopping 12 break points against Riske. A repeat of this will do her no favors against Kontaveit, who is generally solid and does not present too many opportunities.
The Canadian also tends to lose focus after playing a few good games, which is an aspect of her game she must look to improve. Considering their head-to-head record and Bianca Andreescu's inconsistent displays in recent months, Kontaveit should be able to come away with the win.
Prediction: Anett Kontaveit to win in three sets.
The champion returns 👑
#BNPPO21 | @Bandreescu_ https://t.co/UTiLKRnFRx