Italian Open 2022: Garbine Muguruza vs Yulia Putintseva preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match details
Fixture: (8) Garbine Muguruza vs (Q) Yulia Putintseva.
Date: 11 May 2022
Tournament: Italian Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 32).
Venue: Rome, Italy.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Clay.
Prize money: €2,527,250.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Garbine Muguruza vs Yulia Putintseva preview
World No. 10 Garbine Muguruza will square off against qualifier Yulia Putintseva in the second round of the 2022 Italian Open on Wednesday.
After winning the WTA Finals at the end of 2021, a lot was expected of Muguruza this year. However, the Spaniard has struggled throughout the season. She has managed to win back-to-back matches at only one tournament in 2022: the Qatar Open in February.
Muguruza suffered an injury following her loss at the Indian Wells Open before returning to action at the Madrid Open. She made a winning start to her clay season, defeating Ajla Tomljanovic 7-5, 6-2 in the first round. However, she suffered a crushing 6-3, 6-0 loss to Anhelina Kalinina in the second round.
Muguruza has underperformed in Madrid in the past, so an early loss there wasn't too surprising. However, she has done rather well in Rome, reaching the semifinals on three occasions. The Spaniard will be eager to replicate her past results with Roland Garros right around the corner.
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Yulia Putintseva's highlight of the clay season so far has been a semifinal showing at the Istanbul Cup. However, she couldn't make the most of her momentum from that display as she lost to Coco Gauff in the second round of the Madrid Open.
Putintseva's low ranking meant she had to compete in the qualifying rounds of the Italian Open. She had no trouble dispatching Storm Sanders, winning 6-1, 6-1. The Kazakh staged a comeback to defeat Ana Konjuh 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 and book her spot in the main draw.
Putintseva then prevailed in a tough three-set encounter against Kaja Juvan as she saved two match points to win 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 in the first round.
Garbine Muguruza vs Yulia Putintseva head-to-head
Muguruza leads Putintseva 2-1 in the head-to-head. But it was the Kazakh who won their most recent encounter at the 2021 Charleston Open after the former World No. 1 retired in the second set due to an injury.
Garbine Muguruza vs Yulia Putintseva odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Garbine Muguruza vs Yulia Putintseva prediction
Muguruza's accomplishments and claycourt pedigree would mark her as the favorite heading into this contest, but her form this year has been less than stellar. This could be an excellent opportunity for Putintseva to even their rivalry and score her first win over a top-10 player in three years.
In her previous match, Muguruza hit eight winners compared to 18 unforced errors. She also failed to capitalize on the break point chances she had, going 0/6 in that department. The Spaniard's shotmaking has also suffered in recent weeks, possibly due to a drop in confidence levels.
Putintseva will be feeling condifent about her chances, especially after how she performed in the first round. She dug deep and held her nerve to save match points. The Kazakh used plenty of perfectly timed drop shots to win points and could repeat that tactic against the two-time Grand Slam champion, who is not the greatest of movers.
Muguruza's inconsistency is nothing new. She has followed up a string of bad results with by a deep run in a tournament and it's only a matter of time before she starts playing well again.
Clay is the Spaniard's surface of choice and the Italian Open and Roland Garros are her favorite tournaments. Consequently, it wouldn't be surprising to see her return to winning ways against Putintseva.
Pick: Garbine Muguruza to win in three sets.