Sydney Tennis Classic 2022: Ons Jabeur vs Petra Kvitova preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (7) Ons Jabeur vs Petra Kvitova
Date: 12 January 2021
Tournament: Sydney Tennis Classic 2022
Round: Round of 16 (second round)
Venue: Sydney, Australia
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $703,580
Match timing: TBA
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Ons Jabeur vs Petra Kvitova preview
Seventh seed Ons Jabeur and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova are set to clash in the second round of the 2022 Sydney Tennis Classic on Wednesday.
Jabeur started her 2022 season with a solid 6-1, 6-3 win over Astra Sharma. The Tunisian will be eager to follow up her breakthrough 2021 season with another good year.
She became the first Arab player to reach the top 10 of the rankings last year. The 27-year-old also won her first WTA title at the 2021 Birmingham Open, besides finishing as the runner-up in Charleston and Chicago. With 48 wins against her name, she tied with Anett Kontaveit for the most wins on the WTA Tour in 2021.
Petra Kvitova almost made her second consecutive first-round exit this season when she faced two match points against Arantxa Rus in Sydney on Monday. But the Czech saved them both to progress to the next round.
Serving at 4-5 in the deciding set, the southpaw was twice a single point away from defeat. However, some solid play saw her secure the 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5 win and remain in the hunt for her third Sydney title.
Kvitova began her 2022 season with a surprising first-round loss to Priscilla Hon at the Adelaide International last week. While she isn't at her best yet, her win today should inspire plenty of confidence in her.
@Petra_Kvitova escapes Rus after saving two match points!
First win of 2022 under her belt 🤝
🇨🇿 @Petra_Kvitova escapes Rus after saving two match points!
#SydneyTennisClassic https://t.co/KSK1ko7zsK
Ons Jabeur vs Petra Kvitova head-to-head
The two have played against each other thrice so far, with Kvitova having a perfect 3-0 head-to-head record. The two-time Wimbledon champion won their most recent encounter, 6-1, 6-2 at the Cincinnati Open last year.
Ons Jabeur vs Petra Kvitova prediction
Considering their form, this is a good opportunity for Jabeur to score her very first win over Kvitova. The Czech narrowly avoided an exit in the first round and will need to rein in those errors if she wants to make a deep run in the tournament.
Another worrying aspect has been her serve and movement, which have let her down so far.
Jabeur's frequent drop shots and varied gameplay will have Kvitova scrambling, but so far Kvitova has handled that quite well in the past.
However, Jabeur played quite well in her first-round match as compared to the 31-year-old and looks the sharper of the two heading into this clash. If Kvitova doesn't step up her game soon, the Tunisian is going to run away with the match.
Prediction: Ons Jabeur to win in straight sets.
Also check out: Complete 2022 Australian Open Schedule of Play