Stuttgart 2021: Petra Kvitova vs Elina Svitolina preview, head-to-head & prediction | Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
Match details
Fixture: (7) Petra Kvitova vs (4) Elina Svitolina
Date: 23 April 2021
Tournament: Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2021
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Stuttgart, Germany
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Clay
Prize money: $565,530
Match timing: Not before 5 pm local time, 8.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Eurosport
Petra Kvitova vs Elina Svitolina preview
Defending champion Petra Kvitova fended off a spirited Maria Sakkari on Wednesday to book her spot in the last eight of the 2021 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. The Czech overcame a second-set stumble on her way to victory, in a match that took nearly two and a half hours.
Kvitova has now been rewarded with a rematch against Elina Svitolina, who took out Angelique Kerber in her second-round encounter.
Svitolina has done well to recover from a slow start to 2021. She put up a strong showing at the Miami Open, where she reached the semifinals after beating the likes of Shelby Rogers, Anastasija Sevastova and Kvitova herself.
Svitolina then notched up two wins while representing Ukraine at the Billie Jean Cup. She has now ousted former champion Angelique Kerber in her opener here, and will be looking to take that momentum into the clash on Friday.
Petra Kvitova vs Elina Svitolina head-to-head
Petra Kvitova leads Elina Svitolina in the head-to-head by a comfortable 7-3 margin. That said, it is the Ukrainian who has taken the duo's two most recent meetings, including the quarterfinals in Miami.
Petra Kvitova vs Elina Svitolina prediction
Petra Kvitova will enter this contest looking to exact revenge on Elina Svitolina for her Miami Open defeat last month. The Czech was unable to capitalize on a one-set lead in the Floridian city, and eventually succumbed to a tight three-set loss.
Kvitova is likely to be the one dictating play again on Friday, something that she has done well in her last two matches. The 31-year-old has been solid on her return and groundstrokes in general all season, but has had a fair share of struggles behind the serve - especially in the longer matches.
Kvitova's serve did hold up much better in the third set against Sakkari, and she will be hoping for a similar performance on Friday.
Svitolina, much like Sakkari, will look to turn this into a physical battle and send every ball back into play. But if the Czech can manage to show the same level of consistency behind serve and keep her errors under check, she might just have enough momentum to get over the line in this one.
Prediction: Petra Kvitova to win in two tight sets.