Olympics 2021: Karolina Pliskova vs Camila Giorgi preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Karolina Pliskova vs Camila Giorgi
Date: 27 July 2021
Tournament: Olympics 2021
Round: Third Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Ariake Tennis Park, Tokyo, Japan
Category: Olympic Games
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Match timing: Approx. 1 pm local time, 9.30 am IST, 4 am GMT, 12 am EST
Live telecast: USA - NBC & Peacock TV | UK - BBC TV | India - Sony Liv
Karolina Pliskova vs Camila Giorgi preview
Two big-hitting players, Karolina Pliskova and Camila Giorgi, will lock horns in the third round of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday.
Pliskova came through a hard-fought three-set battle Carla Suarez Navarro on Monday, needing nearly two hours to come through 6-3, 6-7(), 6-1. The Czech reached the Wimbledon final earlier this month, and has been playing some of her best tennis lately.
The fifth seed here, Pliskova will definitely be looking to carry the momentum all the way to a first Olympic medal.
Camila Giorgi, who is making her debut at the Olympics, has also been in fine form in recent weeks. The Italian showed flashes of her best tennis at the WTA 500 event in Eastbourne last month, scoring wins over Pliskova and Aryna Sabalenka enroute to the semifinals.
Giorgi has also made a strong start to her campaign in Tokyo, ousting 11th seed Jennifer Brady and Russia's Elena Vesnina so far. She has only dropped nine games in her two matches, and will enter this contest brimming with confidence.
Karolina Pliskova vs Camila Giorgi head-to-head
Karolina Pliskova leads Camila Giorgi in their current head-to-head with a comfortable 5-2 margin. However, most of their meetings have been closely-contested affairs that have gone the distance.
Karolina Pliskova vs Camila Giorgi prediction
Karolina Pliskova will enter this third-round contest as the firm favorite on paper. She has looked strong in her matches this week; barring a second-set stumble against Suarez Navarro, it has been smooth sailing for the Czech.
Pliskova's serve has worked particularly well for her. She has won 85% of the points behind the first serve so far, and will look to continue her dominance in that department on Tuesday.
Camila Giorgi's power-packed game has also found considerable success on the courts here. The Italian hit a whopping 20 winners during her 6-3, 6-1 win over Elena Vesnina, while also managing to keep the error count low.
Pliskova has made a few slow starts to some of her recent matches - including the Wimbledon final - and will need to settle into her rhythm quickly. That, however, can be a tough ask against a player like Giorgi, who goes for broke on almost every shot.
Pliskova has a lot of experience playing on the big stage though, and she will also have the extra motivation to avenge her Eastbourne loss. Giorgi will not make things easy, but if Pliskova can keep a level head, she should be able to fend off the Italian in this one.
Prediction: Karolina Pliskova to win in three sets.