Roland Garros 2021: Karolina Muchova vs Andrea Petkovic preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Karolina Muchova vs Andrea Petkovic
Date: 1 June 2021
Tournament: Roland Garros 2021
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Red Clay
Prize money: €17,171,108
Match timing: Approx. 8 pm local time, 6 pm GMT, 2 pm EST, 11.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | UK - ITV | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Karolina Muchova vs Andrea Petkovic preview
Karolina Muchova will open her 2021 Roland Garros campaign with a first-round encounter against former semifinalist Andrea Petkovic on Tuesday.
Muchova, who is also the 18th seed in Paris, has been in a rich vein of form heading into this year's tournament. The Czech started her season with a semi-final run at the Australian Open and has managed to back that up with wins over Naomi Osaka and Maria Sakkari on European clay.
Petkovic, on her part, has been battling injuries and a loss of form over the last couple of seasons. She hasn't made the best of starts to 2021 either, and holds a poor 4-9 win-loss record.
Petkovic enjoys playing on clay, having reached the last four at Roland Garros in 2014. But barring a couple of wins in the qualification rounds of WTA events, the German is yet to make her impact felt on the red dirt this season.
Karolina Muchova vs Andrea Petkovic head-to-head
This is set to be the first career meeting between Karolina Muchova and Andrea Petkovic, so their current head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.
Karolina Muchova vs Andrea Petkovic prediction
Karolina Muchova will enter the contest as a firm favorite given her recent run of good form. That said, she will need to be wary of Andrea Petkovic, who possesses a solid all-round game that's not much different from the Czech's own.
On days when Petkovic is striking the ball well, she can go up against the best from any part of the court. The German - who is a former World No. 9 - has shown flashes of her best tennis recently, but will need to be far more consistent on Tuesday.
Muchova will enter the contest looking to take control of the match using her big groundstrokes and net approaches. That said, the Czech can be vulnerable when pushed on the defense.
The onus will be on Petkovic to try and play as aggressively as she can and not allow Muchova to feel too comfortable on the court. A passive approach will only allow the Czech time to settle in, which would make her really dangerous.
Prediction: Karolina Muchova to win in three sets.
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