Prague Open 2021: Barbora Krejcikova vs Katerina Siniakova preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (2) Barbora Krejcikova vs (5) Katerina Siniakova
Date: 16 July 2021
Tournament: Livesport Prague Open 2021
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Prague, Czech Republic
Category: WTA 250
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $235,238
Match timing: Approx. 4 pm local time, 2 pm GMT, 10 am ET
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Barbora Krejcikova vs Katerina Siniakova preview
Barbora Krejcikova will take on long-time doubles partner Katerina Siniakova in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Prague Open on Friday. Having won a multitude of doubles titles as a team, including three Grand Slams, the duo find themselves on opposite sides of the net for the first time.
Second seed Krejcikova had to battle hard to defeat Ysaline Bonaventure in the second round, while Siniakova defeated compatriot Tereza Smitkova 2-6, 7-6(3), 6-3 to set up another all-Czech encounter.
Until 2021, a large chunk of Krejcikova's success came as a doubles player. This year, however, she has made giant strides in singles.
She clinched her maiden singles title in Strasbourg before charting a marvelous run at Roland Garros, where she swept the singles and doubles titles. She then went on to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon, where her sensational 15-match-winning streak was brought to an end by eventual champion Ashleigh Barty.
Katerina Siniakova, meanwhile, has had a rather mixed season. While she struggled to find wins at the beginning of the season, she hit her stride as the year progressed.
The World No. 63 reached her first semifinal of the season in Parma and went a step further at Bad Homburg, where she lost to Angelique Kerber in the final. Once ranked as high as 31 in the world but now down to 63, Siniakova has a chance to move back into the top 50 by lifting the trophy in Prague this week.
Barbora Krejcikova vs Katerina Siniakova head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova, so their head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Barbora Krejcikova vs Katerina Siniakova prediction
Having spent so much time together on the doubles court, the Czech duo are quite familiar with each other's game styles. They both possess active net games and the serve could be the differentiating factor in this match.
Siniakova struggled on serve in her previous match against Tereza Smitkova and racked up 13 double faults without hitting a single ace.
Krejcikova, on the other hand, was more dominant on serve, winning close to 70% of the points on first serve against Bonaventure. Her wide serve on the deuce court, in particular, can cause plenty of problems.
Siniakova is much more explosive from the back of the court and she will hope her power can penetrate Krejcikova's solid defense. But Krejcikova's newfound confidence as a singles player should give her the upper hand in this clash.
Prediction: Barbora Krejcikova to win in three sets.