Montreal 2021: Petra Kvitova vs Camila Giorgi preview, head-to-head & prediction | National Bank Open
Match details
Fixture: (7) Petra Kvitova vs Camila Giorgi
Date: 12 August 2021
Tournament: National Bank Open 2021
Round: Third round (Round of 16)
Venue: IGA Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor hard
Prize money: $1,835,490
Match timing: Approx 3.30 pm local time, 7.30 pm GMT, 1.00 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Petra Kvitova vs Camila Giorgi preview
Seventh seed Petra Kvitova and Camila Giorgi will square off at the National Bank Open in Montreal on Thursday, with a quarter-final berth up for grabs.
Kvitova has struggled for consistency since winning her 28th career title in Doha in March. The World No. 12 managed to reach the quarterfinals just three times in her next 11 events.
The Czech arrived at the Tokyo Olympics on a three-match losing streak, and her hopes of adding a second Olympic medal to her kitty were dashed when she was bundled out in the second round by Alison Van Uytvanck.
The two-time Wimbledon champion will be looking to put that disappointment behind her and embark on a deep run in Montreal to gain some confidence and momentum ahead of the US Open. The Czech started her Montreal campaign on a positive note with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Fiona Ferro.
But she will face a much sterner challenge in the shape of the unpredictable World No. 71 Camila Giorgi in the next round.
Even though she is ranked well outside the top 50, Giorgi has the ability to take down some of the best players on her day. She proved that this season by reaching the semifinals at Eastbourne and the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Olympics as well as Lyon.
During her run to the last eight in Tokyo, the hard-hitting Italian knocked out Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Pliskova and the Australian Open runner-up Jennifer Brady.
She appears to have carried that form into Montreal, where she toppled ninth seed Elise Mertens and 2020 Roland Garros semifinalist Nadia Podoroska en route to the third round.
Petra Kvitova vs Camila Giorgi head-to-head
Petra Kvitova and Camila Giorgi are tied 1-1 in the head-to-head. Kvitova earned a 6-4, 6-2 win over Giorgi in their first meeting at the 2014 Fed Cup. But the Italian turned the tables on the two-time Grand Slam champion at Sydney in 2018 with a 7-6(7), 6-2 win.
Petra Kvitova vs Camila Giorgi prediction
Although Petra Kvitova is by far the superior player, her recent struggles and lack of confidence could ensure this is an evenly-contested match.
Giorgi comes into this match in red-hot form. The Italian has carried her Olympics form into Canada, scoring a couple of straight-sets wins. However, the 29-year-old's hard-hitting game has its own pitfalls. She often finds it tough to control her aggression and overhits, leaking a high number of unforced errors.
The Italian also needs to be more efficient during her return games. Against Nadia Podoroska, she converted just five of 11 breakpoints and would need to do a better job against Kvitova, who possesses a strong serve.
The Czech, on her part, fired eight aces and committed just four double faults against Fiona Ferro in her opener. When her serve fires, the rest of Kvitova's game tends to fall into shape . If the southpaw can keep her error count low against Giorgi, she will be the favorite to come through.
Prediction: Petra Kvitova to win in three sets.