Madrid 2023: Barbora Krejcikova vs Petra Martic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick | Mutua Madrid Open
Fixture: (11) Barbora Krejcikova vs (27) Petra Martic.
Date: May 1, 2023.
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open 2023.
Round: Fourth Round (Round of 16).
Venue: Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €7,652,174.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Barbora Krejcikova vs Petra Martic preview
2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova will take on World No. 33 Petra Martic in the fourth round of the 2023 Madrid Open on Monday.
Krejcikova scored a three-set win over Danka Kovinic to set up a third-round encounter against Wang Xiyu. The Czech broke her opponent's serve twice as she jumped to a 5-2 lead. However, she stumbled while trying to close out the set at this point.
Wang kept herself in contention by claiming the next couple of games, but Krejcikova managed to close out the set on her second try. The former French Open champion upped the ante in the second set as she quickly raced to a 5-0 lead.
Now serving for the match, Krejcikova lost serve, but immediately broke Wang's serve in the next game to win the contest 6-4, 6-1. She has now reached the fourth round in Madrid for the first time.
Meanwhile, Martic knocked out Laura Siegemund to reach the third round, where Anna Kalinskaya awaited her. A single break of serve towards the end of the first set sealed the deal in the Croat's favor.
Kalinskaya rebounded by grabbing the second set, breaking her opponent's serve in the final game of the set to take it. Martic secured an early break in the third set to go 3-1 up. She held on to the lead and broke the Russian's serve one last time to win the match 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
Barbora Krejcikova vs Petra Martic head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Barbora Krejcikova vs Petra Martic odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Barbora Krejcikova vs Petra Martic prediction
Martic earned a hard-fought win over Kalinskaya in the previous round. On the other hand, side from a couple of minor hiccups, Krejcikova didn't struggle much against Wang. The Czech recovered pretty easily from her missteps to score a convincing victory.
Krejcikova and Martic's brand of tennis is rather similar. Both players rely on their craftiness to outfox their opponents, rather than simply pounding the ball into oblivion.
With smart serve placement, breaking up the pace of the rally with a perfect backhand slice and well-timed drop shots, the duo have plenty of tools in their arsenal to work with.
Martic is a tough opponent to deal with on clay, but Krejcikova has been in better form compared to the Croat. Expect the former French Open champion to reign supreme and seal her berth in the last eight.
Pick: Barbora Krejcikova to win in three sets.